Brain Cooling Device for Craniotomy via Segmented Contact
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for cooling the brain during craniotomy procedures are ineffective as they cannot directly lower brain temperature due to the brain being enclosed by the cranium, and existing devices for cooling body tissue are not easily removable post-surgery.
Innovation Solution
A brain cooling device is designed to be installed during craniotomy, featuring a cooling portion that contacts the brain or dura mater, with exposed tubes for introducing and discharging a cooling material, allowing for direct brain cooling and easy removal without additional surgery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If the brain is enclosed by the cranium and scalp, then the brain is protected from external damage, but it becomes impossible to directly lower the brain temperature for therapeutic hypothermia
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling device is segmented into separate components: a cooling portion that contacts the brain and external tubes for material introduction. This allows the cooling function to be separated from the cranium structure, enabling direct brain cooling through the created opening without requiring modification of the cranium itself.
Solution Approach 2:
A cooling material serves as an intermediary medium to transfer thermal energy from the brain to the external environment. The cooling material flows through the cooling portion, absorbing heat from the brain and being discharged externally, thus enabling temperature control without direct structural modification to the cranium.
2Ease of operation
If existing cooling devices are used for body tissue, then cooling function is provided, but the devices cannot be easily removed post-surgery without additional surgical procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling portion is designed to be extractable from the brain through the same surgical opening used for installation. The external tubes allow the cooling portion to be pulled out through the scalp and cranium opening without requiring separate removal surgery, thus extracting the cooling function from a permanent implant to a temporary removable device.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of making the cooling device permanent and requiring surgical removal, the design inverts the approach by making the device temporarily installable and easily removable through the same access route, reversing the traditional implant-removal paradigm.
3Reliability
If a cooling portion is installed through the surgery region to contact the brain, then direct brain cooling is achieved, but the installation requires additional surgical steps
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling device installation is merged with the craniotomy surgical procedure itself. The cooling portion is installed through the same opening created for brain surgery, combining two procedures into one and avoiding additional surgical steps beyond what is already required for brain access.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The device effectively lowers brain temperature, alleviating cerebral edema and intracranial pressure, and can be easily removed post-therapy, enhancing therapeutic hypothermia efficiency in medical treatments.
Implementation Method 1
a cooling portion 200, which is buried in such a manner to come into contact with the brain or the dura mater... using a cooling material which flows inside the cooling portion
Implementation Method 2
a cooling material may be introduced or discharging through the withdrawal tube 210... a cooling material may be introduced through the introduction tube and discharged through the withdrawal tube
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a brain cooling device for a craniotomy patient, and more specifically, to a brain cooling device for a craniotomy for cooling the brain so as to prevent damage to the brain after a brain surgery. To this end, the present invention provides the brain cooling device for a craniotomy patient comprising: a cooling portion which is buried in such a manner to come into contact with the brain or the dura mater; and one withdrawal tube, which is one end of the cooling portion that is exposed to the exterior, wherein the withdrawal tube is exposed to the exterior by penetrating through the scalp and the cranium. Otherwise, the present invention provides the brain cooling device for a craniotomy patient comprising: the cooling portion which is buried in such a manner to come into contact with the brain or the dura mater; and an introduction tube and a discharge tube, which are two end portions of the cooling portion that are exposed to the exterior, wherein the introduction tube and the discharge tube are exposed to the exterior by penetrating through the scalp and the cranium.