41 results about "Brain cooling" patented technology

Disclosed is an apparatus and method for uniform selective cerebral hypothermia. The apparatus includes a brain-cooling probe, a head-cooling cap, a body-heating device and a control console. The brain-cooling probe cools the cerebrospinal fluid within one or more brain ventricles. The brain-cooling probe withdraws a small amount of cerebrospinal fluid from a ventricle into a cooling chamber located ex-vivo in close proximity to the head. After the cerebrospinal fluid is cooled it is then reintroduced back into the ventricle. This process is repeated in a cyclical or continuous manner. The head-cooling cap cools the cranium and therefore cools surface of the brain. The combination of ventricle cooling and cranium cooling provides for whole brain cooling while minimizing temperature gradients within the brain. The body-heating device replaces heat removed from the body by the brain-cooling probe and the head-cooling cap and provides for a temperature difference between the brain and the body where the brain is maintained a temperature lower than the temperature of the body.

There is disclosed headwear comprising an endothermic reactor and a trigger to initiate an endothermic reaction in the reactor whilst being worn on a wearer's head. Such may preferentially be utilised in or in conjunction with a motorcycle safety helmet or similar crash protection device. The headwear is intended to prevent or delay the onset of brain damage as a result of serious trauma or head injury.

A method and device for treating neurological disorders involving the application of noninvasive, regional brain thermal stimulation to a region of a patient's head associated with a subject neurological disorder. The brain thermal stimulation method and device alters the brain function in the region of the brain underlying the region of the patient's head to which the brain cooling is applied. The method can also include the steps of adjusting the temperature and timing of the thermal stimulation process to optimize the impact on the subject disorder. The brain thermal stimulation device is comprised of a localized means for cooling or warming a desired region of a patient's brain.

This disclosure relates to a brain cooling and spinal cord cooling system, device or mechanism for use in military helmets, and in an adapted format in non-military helmets. The system is comprised of an inflatable pad, or a set of interconnected pads, attached to the interior surface of the helmet, together with a series of valves that allow cooling gases to be delivered from a high pressure canister. The use of different cooling gases permits the achievement and maintenance of cooling of the brain for 24 to 96 hours at a mild (36° C.) or moderate (33° C.-35° C.) brain hypothermia, which is 1.5° C.-4.5° C. below the core temperature.

Disclosed is an apparatus and method for reducing secondary brain injury. The apparatus includes a brain-cooling probe and a control console. The brain-cooling probe cools the brain to prevent secondary injury by cooling the cerebrospinal fluid within one or more brain ventricles. The brain-cooling probe withdraws a small amount of cerebrospinal fluid from a ventricle into a cooling chamber located ex-vivo in close proximity to the head. After the cerebrospinal fluid is cooled it is then reintroduced back into the ventricle. This process is repeated in a cyclical or continuous manner in order to achieve and maintain a predetermined brain ventricle temperature lower than normal body temperature. The apparatus and method disclosed provides effective brain ventricle cooling without the need to introduce extra-corporeal fluids into the brain.

Disclosed is an apparatus and method for preventing secondary ischemic injury in the brain. The apparatus includes an interstitial brain probe and an introducer sheath, which are placed into an ischemic region of the brain by stereotaxic surgical technique. The interstitial brain probe and introducer sheath provide for thermal coagulation to provide hemostasis, aspiration of blood clots, infusion of therapeutic agents, and localized hypothermia within an ischemic region of the brain. The interstitial brain probe cools an ischemic region of the brain from within the ischemic region, and cooling is substantially limited to the ischemic region. Cooling is provided for a period of time greater than one hour.

A method and device for treating neurological disorders involving the application of noninvasive, regional brain thermal stimulation to a region of a patient's head associated with a subject neurological disorder. The brain thermal stimulation method and device alters the brain function in the region of the brain underlying the region of the patient's head to which the brain cooling is applied. The method can also include the steps of adjusting the temperature and timing of the thermal stimulation process to optimize the impact on the subject disorder. The brain thermal stimulation device is comprised of a localized means for cooling or warming a desired region of a patient's brain.

A clinical grid electrode system for seizure control through local cooling, mapping brain function and me provision of reversible functional ablation. The system includes a modular, scalable, cooling and sensing array composed of a plurality of cooling sensing elements. The system also includes a control system to which die cooling and sensing array is coupled for providing for control and monitoring of die cooling sensing elements making up the cooling and sensing array.

A brain cooling apparatus is provided that can circulate a fluid between a containing unit of a brain cooling device and the brain cooling apparatus while maintaining an appropriate pressure of the fluid in the containing unit, and a brain cooling device suitable thereto also is provided. A control device circulates a physiological saline solution between a storage tank and a cuff by driving a first pump in a direction in which the physiological saline solution flows toward the cuff, and driving a second pump in a direction in which the physiological saline solution flows toward the storage tank. In this state, the control device adjusts the rotation speed of at least the second pump, so that the pressure of the physiological saline solution in the cuff becomes a preset target pressure.

The invention relates to a brain fixed-point sub-hypothermia control device. The brain fixed-point sub-hypothermia control device comprises an intrusive guide tube, temperature detection elements, a control system, a liquid cooling device and a liquid pushing device, wherein the temperature detection elements (2, 2') are used for respectively monitoring the temperatures of an inlet and an outlet of the intrusive guide tube (1); the temperature detection element (2'') is used for monitoring the temperature of the output cooling liquid of the liquid cooling device (4); and the control system (3) is used for sending a control signal to start the liquid pushing device (5) to push the cooled liquid into the inlet of the intrusive guide tube at a certain speed. With the adoption of the brain fixed-point sub-hypothermia control device, the brain cooling part can be accurately positioned, the cooling process is timely and quick, and the sub-hypothermia state can be accurately and reliably maintained; in addition, acute and serious cerebral edema can be controlled, and conditions are created for promoting recovery of brain function, so that the brain fixed-point sub-hypothermia control device plays an important role in reducing fatality rate and disability rate.

The present invention relates to one kind of brain cooling jet impact device, which has a booster pump to pressurize the cooling medium, a cooling cap jet passage and an oral cavity pouring passage for jetting cooling medium to cool down the selected target tissue in brain quickly, an elevating bed fore required height and angle regulation, temperature sensors for taking the surface temperature and the core temperature of the patient, and a computer with treating software receiving the measured temperatures and regulating the pressure, temperature and other parameters of the cooling medium for reaching required treatment effect. The present invention has high cooling effect, automatic operation and other advantages.

We have developed a novel method of brain surface dialysis that reduces intracranial pressure and modifies movement of extracellular fluid in a rat model of brain injury. A chamber with a semipermeable membrane at the site of brain contact is perfused with a hyperosmolar solution (e.g. 15% dextran, inulin, hydroxyethyl starch). It is also capable of providing local brain cooling. In principle, osmotic forces draw water and small molecules from the injured brain into the dialysis chamber thereby reducing brain swelling. The dialysate does not move into the brain.

The present invention is directed to a scarf having a sealable pocket. Within the pocket is a Joule-Thompson gas chamber having an activation device. When the activation device is triggered, the compressed gas is released from the Joule-Thompson gas chamber through at least one restriction aperture into the sealable pocket. That release results in at least the walls of the sealed pocket being cooled. Prior to being cooled or after being cooled, the scarf is placed over a portion of the patient's body. Preferably, the scarf is positioned over at least one of the patient's carotid arteries, preferably both, to effectively cool the patient's brain and/or body core temperature.

A noninvasive, brain cooling method and device for cerebral cooling via a patient's nasopharyngeal cavity, is described. Thermal conductive nasal prongs are inserted into a nasal cavity and are cooled by thermoelectric cooling elements. An outward air driving fan inside the device drives a cold air current through the nasal and oral cavities. Heat transfer between the cold air and the surface of the nasal cavity cools the nasal cavity, which in turn, cools a patient's brain. Real-time temperature sensing data provides feedback for closed-loop cooling control.

In a brain cooling device according to an embodiment of the present invention, preferably, temperature sensors are installed in one end and the other end of a cooling fluid transport tube to detect a temperature, a pressure measurement sensor is installed in a storage tank, a control unit is connected to the temperature sensors and the pressure measurement sensor, and the control unit calculates an amount of heat absorbed from a brain according to a change in pressure of the storage tank and the temperature detected by the temperature sensors. In the brain cooling device according to the embodiment of the present invention, preferably, one end of the cooling fluid transport tube and a drainage tube is bent such that adjacent drainage tubes come in close contact with each other. The brain cooling device according to the present invention is directly installed in a dura mater of a brain or a site in which an operation of incising the dura mater of the brain is performed so that heat or swelling is effectively mitigated. After use of the device ends, the brain cooling device may be removed through an operation hole which allows a cooling fluid to be introduced and discharged and penetrates a scalp and a cranium and thereby the device may be removed without a separate operation. When vaporized liquid nitrogen and the like are used as the cooling fluid, it is possible to cool the brain without separate mechanical and electric devices. In addition, blood and the like accumulated in an operation area may be discharged using a drain hole installed in the cooling device.