Surgery: light – thermal – and electrical application – Light – thermal – and electrical application – Thermal applicators
Patent
1999-04-16
2000-12-05
Dvorak, Linda C. M.
Surgery: light, thermal, and electrical application
Light, thermal, and electrical application
Thermal applicators
607110, A61F 700
Patent
active
061560596
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to a method and to apparatus for regulating the temperature of the scalp of a human being undergoing chemotherapy or like treatment, for instance.
It is known that the problem of lows of hair suffered by patients undergoing chemotherapy can be alleviated, and in some cases fully eliminated, by cooling the hairy part. It has been observed that cooling of the skin, and therewith the roots of the hair, to a temperature of from .+-.0.degree. to .+-.5.degree. C. reduces the ability of the roots to take-up the treatment preparation and therewith increases the chances of the roots surviving the treatment to a corresponding extent, wherewith the patient keeps his/her hair. According to known techniques, this cooling treatment will preferably be continued for one to five hours.
In the case of one known apparatus, a head covering, in the form of a bonnet, consisting of a soft-frozen gel block is placed on the patient. The block is heavy and often has a temperature of below -18.degree. C., when the bonnet is placed on the head of the patient, which is normally wet in these circumstances. Because the bonnet is inflexible and initially very cold, the device is uncomfortable. Another problem is that the frozen blocks quickly melt and does not therefore keep the temperature beneath the upper temperature limit during the whole of the treatment period. It is necessary for the patient to change bonnets, often as soon as about forty-five minutes after having donned the head covering, when the temperature has risen from -18.degree. C. to above +10.degree. C.
In the case of another known apparatus, the patient is fitted with a head covering that is continuously cooled. This head covering is comprised of two layers which define therebetween a space through which a cooling fluid flows. The space in the head covering is connected by means of at least one hose to a cooling unit that supplies the head covering with fluid, wherewith cooling of the scalp can take place with continuously applied cold and at a relatively constant temperature during the whole of the treatment period. This obviates the need for the patient to place a stiff, super-cooled covering on his/her head. The fluid inlet and outlet are preferably distributed over the head covering, so as to obtain good circulation and therewith uniform cooling of the entire scalp.
This head covering is also heavy to carry during the treatment period, and it is proposed to supplement said covering with a suspension means that will relieve the load on the patient's neck. Another problem resides in keeping down the temperature around the edges of the head covering.
Different parts of the head and the scalp have different concentrations of blood vessels and therefore different cooling requirements, which cannot be satisfied with known cooling devices. As a result, the patient is either cooled to an unnecessary extent in some regions or, as in the case when the cooling effect is determined by the temperature at a region in which the blood vessels are less dense, insufficiently at other regions. It has also been observed that the cooling effect required is greater at the bottom around the hairline of the patient and around his/her temples than at the top.
The object of the present invention is to overcome the aforesaid problems and to provide an improved method and an improved apparatus of the aforesaid kind.
This object is achieved with a method and an apparatus according to the accompanying independent claims.
These and other objects of the present invention will be apparent to the skilled person who has studied the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention. The description is made with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which identical or similar parts have been identified with the same reference signs.
FIG. 1 illustrates an apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a partially broken view of the apparatus shown in
FIG. 1 shows a head covering 1 according to a preferred embodiment of
REFERENCES:
patent: 2049723 (1936-08-01), Pomeranz
patent: 4172495 (1979-10-01), Zebuhr et al.
patent: 4572188 (1986-02-01), Augustine et al.
patent: 5658324 (1997-08-01), Bailey, Sr. et al.
Dvorak Linda C. M.
Kearney R.
LandOfFree
Scalp cooling apparatus does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Scalp cooling apparatus, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Scalp cooling apparatus will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-957055