By Healthcare Facilities Today

A patent by the inventors Navan, William (Howth, IE); Woolfson, David (Newcastle, IE), filed on September 15, 2008, was published online on October 22, 2013, according to news reporting originating from Alexandria, Virginia, by NewsRx correspondents (see also Pneuma Pure I.P. Limited).

Patent number 8561233 is assigned to Pneuma Pure I.P. Limited (Dublin, IE).

"Infection control and cross infection present a major problem for hospitals today, leading to considerable expense and inconvenience. Bacterial strains have developed which are increasingly more resistant to treatment by antibiotics. Therefore, once an infection is established in a hospital, it is often difficult to eradicate and can spread quite rapidly. A problem known as 'strikethrough', where a contaminated fluid penetrates to an interior of a infection control bedding product such as a pillow, duvet, mattress, or cushion, is well known. If 'strikethrough' occurs, then there is a considerable risk of cross infection associated with any of these infection control bedding products since they are likely to be used subsequently by many different patients. Indeed, this problem arises in any situation where there is a regular change in persons using pillows, duvets and the like, such as, for example, in hotels and guesthouses. Furthermore, in the home, many people with allergies and breathing disorders have problems with fungal infection and dust mites.

"There are numerous commercially available materials typically used for waterproof covers on mattresses, typically comprising a knitted or woven nylon fabric, with a thermoplastic coating, typically polyurethane, applied. The knitted or woven fabric provides mechanical strength, while the thermoplastic (polyurethane) coating provides waterproofing.

"Some such fabrics are termed 'vapour permeable' because tiny pores exist at sub-micron level in the coating, that nominally allow transport of water vapour molecules. However, these fabrics do not allow transfer of air at sufficient rates to ventilate a pillow.

"U.S. Pat. No. 4,637,377 discloses a surgical pillow for supporting the heart or other body organs of a patient during surgical procedures. The surgical pillow disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,637,377 has a foam filled casing with a vent in the casing to permit release of entrapped air within the casing upon compression of the pillow during use.

"U.S. Pat. No. 5,038,431 discloses a pillow for dispensing medication. The pillow has an outer sheet forming a pocket for reception of filling material. The pocket has a vent opening and the filling material is impregnated with a medicament. When the vent is open, a person is exposed to medicament vapour which escapes through the vent opening.

"These prior art pillows do not address the problem of 'strikethrough'.

"U.S. Pat. No. 4,445,241 discloses an air tight and fluid tight cover for padded bodies, mattresses and the like. The cover has a top, a bottom and a plurality of side parts. At least one opening provides ventilation between the interior of the cover and the ambient atmosphere. At least two of the side parts are formed by at least an interior, middle and exterior layer of material. Air passage openings offset with respect to each other are provided in the interior and middle layers of material. At least one filter is disposed between the middle and outer layer of material. A plurality of connecting seams extend partially transversely across the width of the side part from diametrically opposite points of the upper and lower longitudinal edges of the side parts toward a longitudinal center line bisecting the side part. The connecting seams define a plurality of pockets in which the filters are disposed. The connecting seams also define air passages between the individual layers of material for trapping coarse granular particles therein.