Surgery: light – thermal – and electrical application – Light – thermal – and electrical application – Thermal applicators
Patent
1991-04-16
1993-11-23
Graham, Mark S.
Surgery: light, thermal, and electrical application
Light, thermal, and electrical application
Thermal applicators
62530, A61F 700
Patent
active
052634795
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention concerns a thermotherapeutic packing for medical use comprising a casing made of a flexible, impermeably welded sheet containing a heat- or cold-storing liquid and an insert material of spherical aggregates. The thermotherapeutic packing of this invention is used for treating various ailments and injuries necessitating the application of heat- or cold-packs to body areas.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Illustratively, such a packing is known from the European patent document, A 0 046 894. The insert material of this packing consists of closed-pore foam particles in bulk which cannot fully absorb the heat-or cold-storing liquid. These foam particles are polystyrene spheres which, in this shape, are easily displaced relative to one another. They are 1 to 5 mm in diameter, especially 4 to 5 mm, and are temperature-insensitive. A packing filled with spheres allows excellent molding to specific body sites.
However, it has been found in practice that the need for molding capability precludes tautly filling the packing with spheres; thus, these spheres disclosed in EP A 0 046 894 can move so much within the packing casing that they may concentrate in one part of it whereas no plastic spheres are present in the other part of the pouch-shaped packing. In fact, this is desirable to the extent that the packing lies horizontally on a body part because then the foam particles will buoy at the side away from the body and form an insulating layer. However, when the packing is not applied horizontally, this buoyancy causes the foam particles to concentrate at one end of the packing and, as a result, undesirable, uneven thermal behavior is incurred over the area of the packing.
The displacement of the spheres into one part of the packing takes place when the packing is stored, not (surface) prone, but standing on one edge. Deliberate, thorough mixing of the packing contents is quite different.
Moreover, the foam spheres fill a large part of the packing volume. However, the spheres cannot store heat; that is, only the liquid assures heat storage, but this liquid takes up only somewhat than half the packing volume for a commercial packing made in the manner of the patent application. In order to absorb or dissipate as much heat as other packings, such a packing must be made about twice as thick.
The European patent document A 0 046 894 further describes a pouch-shaped packing which is assumed already known in that text, in which the insert material consists of an integral and essentially planar foam absorbing the liquid. Essentially, this foam serves to assure uniform thickness of the packing because the two sheets of the pouch-like packing rest on this foam over the entire packing area once the liquid has been substantially absorbed by the foam.
However, such packing is not easily molded, that is, matching to the body surface is limited. Also, temperature loss is unhampered and frequently high and rapid heat transfer takes place, i.e., the body part is excessively cooled or heated, such effects on one hand decaying too rapidly and on the other hand, they may entail undesired phenomena such as frostbites or burns.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the invention is to create a thermotherapeutic packing for medical use of the above species which allows good molding and of which the heat loss or absorption shall be slower, i.e., shall take place over a longer time.
This problem is solved by a packing comprising a hermetically-sealed casing containing a heat-storage or cold-storage liquid and a filling comprising spherical bodies, wherein the spherical bodies are in the form of aggregates of fibers wound into spheres. The spherical bodies permit the cooling or heating medium to penetrate and flow through the aggregates.
For years such aggregates have been used in carpet-making (European patent documents A 0 013 427 and A 0 013 427) and, more recently, as down substitutes in the bedding industry (European patent documents A 0 257 658 and 0 276 682). Whereas the fiber aggregates used in bedding should evince
REFERENCES:
patent: 4413030 (1983-11-01), Tesch et al.
patent: 4481247 (1984-11-01), Tesch et al.
patent: 4820574 (1989-04-01), Tesch
patent: 4865012 (1989-09-01), Kelley
patent: 4917943 (1990-04-01), Tesch
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