Segmented Cooling Device for Chemotherapy Nail Bed Pain
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Solution Overview
Problem
Chemotherapy often causes nail changes such as discoloration, ridging, pitting, and pain in the nail beds of patients, which existing cooling devices do not effectively address by targeting the specific areas of discomfort.
Innovation Solution
A device with a heat-insulating body and fluid-impermeable lining, featuring compartments for fingers and thumbs with temperature-controlled coolant circulation to directly target and alleviate nail bed pain, and a separate design for toe treatment with a serpentine coolant tube for precise temperature control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a general cooling device is used for chemotherapy patients, then hair loss can be reduced, but nail bed pain and discomfort cannot be effectively addressed
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling device is divided into separate modular components: a head cooling section for hair loss prevention and hand/foot sections with individual finger/toe compartments for nail bed pain relief. Each module can be independently activated and temperature-controlled, allowing targeted therapy for different body regions affected by chemotherapy.
Solution Approach 2:
The device provides differentiated cooling characteristics for different body parts. The hand and foot sections feature individual compartments for each finger and toe with independent coolant circulation, enabling precise local temperature control at the nail bed level while the head section provides broader scalp cooling.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If cooling is applied to the entire hand, then nail bed pain may be relieved, but cooling efficiency is reduced due to heat loss in non-target areas
Solution Approach 1:
The hand cooling section is segmented into individual finger compartments, each with its own coolant flow passage. This segmentation isolates the cooling effect to only those fingers experiencing nail bed pain, preventing heat loss from uninvolved fingers and improving overall cooling efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
Each finger compartment provides localized cooling directly at the nail bed region through conformal contact surfaces. The cooling is concentrated where needed rather than distributed across the entire hand, reducing energy waste in non-target areas.
3Measurement precision
If a rigid cooling device is used, then temperature control is precise, but patient comfort and adaptability to different hand sizes is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The device incorporates flexible, conformable cooling surfaces that can adapt to different hand sizes and shapes. The thin-walled coolant chambers and flexible sealing surfaces allow the rigid temperature control system to conform to the patient's anatomy, ensuring both precise temperature control and patient comfort.
Solution Approach 2:
The device allows dynamic adjustment of cooling parameters for each finger compartment independently. Patients can activate only the compartments needed for their specific discomfort, and temperature settings can be adjusted individually for each finger or toe based on local requirements.
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 provides effective, localized cooling to alleviate pain and discomfort in the nail beds of hands and feet, enhancing the therapeutic benefits of chemotherapy treatments.
Implementation Method 1
flow passages for circulating a fluid coolant supplied by the refrigeration unit, through the device being provided internally of the cover which forms an inside heat exchange surface to be applied against the scalp
Implementation Method 2
a refrigeration unit included in this cooling system has connections for connecting to the unit two separately continuously temperature controlled cooling sections of the cap
Implementation Method 3
The device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises a body 10 which in its entirety is made of a heat insulating material or includes an inner and an outer shell with a heat insulating material therebetween
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
Method and device for controlling the temperature of local portions of a patient's body. The temperature of regions including the nails of fingers and or toes is controlled to be kept at a predetermined low level when the patient is undergoing chemotherapy. The device for controlling the temperature includes a heat insulating body forming cavities for receiving therein the patient's fingers and/or toes, and passages in said body for flowing a coolant through regions in heat exchanging relation to said cavities receiving the nails of the patient's fingers or toes when inserted into the cavities.