JP2012187397A - Thermotherapeutic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a thermotherapeutic apparatus more accurately raising the body temperature of a patient to a treatment temperature according to an individual difference in a rise in the body temperature of the patient.SOLUTION: The thermotherapeutic apparatus applying thermotherapy by immersing substantially the whole body except the head of the patient in hot water includes: a first temperature sensor measuring the temperature of the hot water; a second temperature sensor measuring the body temperature of the patient; a controller controlling the temperature of the hot water; and a computer imparting a control instruction to the controller such that the body temperature of the patient rises, is maintained and drops while drawing a preset prescribed curve based on the temperature of the hot water measured by the first temperature sensor and the body temperature of the patient measured by the second temperature sensor.

Description

  The present invention relates to a thermal treatment apparatus for performing treatment by immersing almost the whole body other than a patient's head in warm water.

  In recent years, using the difference in temperature sensitivity between normal cells and cancer cells or virus-infected cells, the affected area is heated to 39 ° C. to 43 ° C. to protect cancer cells and kill cancer cells and viruses (hyperthermia). ) Is attracting attention as a non-invasive treatment method.

  It is thought that the human body generates heat in the case of a cold, etc., because the heat is generated when the amount of pyrogens produced in the body exceeds a certain value. Start working. On the other hand, the thermotherapy method promotes the start of immune function by inducing the same environment as fever by artificially causing an increase in the temperature of the living body.

  Thermotherapy methods are classified into a plurality of types according to the method of heating, and there are a method of irradiating the affected part with high frequency and ultrasonic waves, a method of heating blood by extracorporeal circulation, and the like. As one of them, a whole body immersion thermotherapy that raises the body temperature by immersing almost the whole body other than the patient's head in warm water has been proposed, and a treatment device has been developed to realize it (for example, Patent Document 1). reference).

  Whole body immersion thermotherapy dramatically increases thermal conductivity by immersing the patient directly in warm water, and can increase the body temperature of the whole body to the treatment temperature in a short time without exposing the patient to an unnecessarily high temperature. The physical burden is reduced and long-term treatment is possible.

JP 2001-299789 A

  In the above-mentioned whole body immersion thermotherapy device, the body temperature of the patient is raised to 39 ° C. or more by adjusting the temperature of the hot water in which the patient is immersed, thereby producing a therapeutic effect. More specifically, while the temperature of the hot water is measured by the temperature sensor of the thermal treatment apparatus, the body temperature is raised to the set treatment temperature by raising the temperature of the hot water to a predetermined temperature by the controller. .

  However, since the rise in water temperature and the rise in body temperature vary among patients, even if the water temperature is the same, the body temperature may rise higher than the treatment temperature depending on the patient. May not rise.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and it is intended to provide a thermal treatment apparatus that can raise the patient's body temperature to the treatment temperature more accurately according to individual differences in the patient's body temperature rise. Objective.

  In order to achieve the above object, a thermotherapy apparatus according to the present invention is a thermotherapy apparatus that performs thermotherapy by immersing almost the whole body other than the patient's head in hot water, and measures the temperature of the hot water. A temperature sensor, a second temperature sensor for measuring a patient's body temperature, a controller for controlling the temperature of the hot water, a temperature of the hot water measured by the first temperature sensor, and a temperature measured by the second temperature sensor. And a computer for giving a control command to the controller so that the temperature of the patient rises, keeps and cools while drawing a predetermined curve based on the temperature of the patient.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the 2nd temperature sensor of the thermotherapy apparatus concerning this invention is a sensor which measures rectal temperature as a patient's body temperature. In addition to the first and second temperature sensors, the thermotherapy device preferably includes a heart rate meter that measures the heart rate of the patient and an oxygen saturation meter that measures the blood oxygen concentration.

  Furthermore, the thermotherapy apparatus according to the present invention can be used for the treatment of interstitial cystitis. In the treatment of interstitial cystitis, the temperature of the rectum is measured as the patient's body temperature, and the temperature of the hot water is controlled by the controller so that the rectal temperature becomes normal + 2 ° C ± 0.2 ° C. It is preferable to set the time to 15 minutes to 90 minutes.

  In the thermotherapy apparatus of the present invention, the body temperature of the patient can be controlled to a temperature more suitable for the thermotherapy by controlling the temperature of the hot water while measuring the body temperature of the patient.

It is sectional drawing which shows the state in which the patient was immersed in the treatment tank for the thermal treatment. It is a graph which shows the time-dependent change of the body temperature and heart rate of the patient under treatment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the system except a control system among the thermotherapy apparatuses concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the control system of the thermotherapy apparatus concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen for a monitor displayed on the display of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the heat treatment in the heat treatment apparatus concerning embodiment. 4 is a graph showing the number of eosinophils before and after treatment and the ratio of eosinophils in leukocytes in an example in which the thermotherapy device according to the embodiment is used for the treatment of interstitial cystitis. It is a graph which shows the correlation with rectal temperature and blood pH in the same Example, and the correlation with rectal temperature and blood oxygen saturation. It is a graph which shows the relationship between the frequency | count of treatment and a body weight in the Example which used the thermotherapy apparatus concerning embodiment for the purpose of obesity elimination.

  Hereinafter, a thermal therapy apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<Control of body temperature in thermotherapy>
Before describing the configuration and operation of the thermotherapy device, control of body temperature in the thermotherapy will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 shows a state where the patient is immersed in the treatment tank, and FIG. 2 shows temporal changes in the body temperature and heart rate of the patient during treatment.

  The treatment tank 10 is formed in a substantially box shape with the top opened, and hot water W heated through the pipe 11 is injected into the bathtub and discharged through the pipe 12. The temperature of the hot water W is controlled by a controller which will be described later, and circulates in a circulation line including the treatment tank 10. In addition, in order to avoid complexity, the piping in the treatment tank 10 is omitted. When the treatment is performed, the upper surface of the treatment tank 10 is covered with a lid (not shown) except for the upper part from the neck of the patient P, thereby preventing the heat of the hot water W from escaping to the outside.

  The patient P is transported to the treatment tank 10 by a wheeled lift (not shown) while being placed on the mounting member 13. When the patient P is immersed in the hot water W, the placing member 13 is moved in the vertical direction using a lift. Instead of the lift, a mounting member with wheels may be used, a part of the side wall of the treatment tank 10 may be opened, and the mounting member 13 may be carried from there.

  In order to measure the heart rate and oxygen saturation in the blood after inserting the patient P on the mounting member 13 and transporting it to the treatment tank 10, a temperature sensor is inserted into the rectum to measure the core temperature of the patient P. Attach the measurement probe to the patient's pinna and fingers.

  Next, the lift (not shown) is lowered, the patient is immersed in the warm water W in the treatment tank 10, and the upper surface of the treatment tank 10 is covered with a lid, and then the thermal treatment is started. As shown in FIG. 1, in a state where the patient P is immersed in the warm water W, his / her arm is placed on the arm rest 131 of the placing member 13, and a foot sole is attached to the foot rest 132 to stabilize the posture. In addition, the position of the chin is adjusted to ensure a sufficient airway, and the knee is bent to further promote blood flow.

  The upper half of the graph of FIG. 2 shows temporal changes in the temperature of the hot water W in the treatment tank 10 (broken line) and the rectal temperature of the patient P (solid line), and the lower half shows temporal changes in the heart rate.

  The control of the body temperature is composed of three steps: a temperature raising process, a heat retaining process, and a temperature lowering process. First, a heating process is performed to raise the patient's body temperature (core temperature). While the patient is immersed in the warm water W, the temperature of the warm water W is raised while being set to a value 3 to 3.5 ° C. higher than the body temperature, and the patient's body temperature is raised. The temperature increase curve of the warm water W is set based on a standard body temperature increase rate measured in advance, and the temperature of the warm water W is controlled by the controller so as to draw a dashed curve in FIG.

  In the treatment example of FIG. 2, the body temperature of the patient is maintained at 39.5 ° C. in the subsequent heat treatment. If the temperature of the warm water W is continuously raised in the temperature raising process, the body temperature exceeds 39.5 ° C., so that the temperature of the warm water W is lowered by 0.3 to 0.5 ° C. below the rectal temperature during the temperature raising process. The body temperature is controlled to be 39.5 ° C. at the start of the heat treatment.

  When the patient's body temperature reaches the treatment temperature (39.5 ° C.) in the heat retention process, the patient's body temperature (rectal temperature) is maintained until a predetermined calorie is reached. In this state, the temperature of the warm water W (broken line) is held at a value slightly lower than the body temperature (practice).

  The reason why the heart rate is monitored in the heat treatment will be described. This is because heat supplied from the outside is carried by the whole body mainly by blood, and since the heart rate is proportional to the blood flow, there is a correlation between the heart rate and the rate of increase in body temperature. As shown in the lower half of FIG. 2, the heart rate of the patient rises as the body temperature rises in the temperature raising process. When the heart rate reaches a constant value (about 115 times / minute), the rise stops and once falls, and then keeps a substantially constant value until the heat retention process ends.

  When a predetermined treatment time has elapsed, the process proceeds to a temperature lowering process, and the temperature of the hot water W is lowered to lower the patient's body temperature. When the patient's body temperature is equal to or lower than the escape body temperature from the treatment tank 10, the patient is allowed to escape from the treatment tank 10 by a lift (not shown). Finally, the treatment tank 10 is drained and washed, and the thermal treatment is finished.

  If the temperature control of the hot water W is performed along the curve shown in FIG. 2, the temperature can be raised to the set treatment temperature. Moreover, since the body temperature can be raised at a set rate, the burden on the patient is also small. Even during treatment, body temperature can be maintained with high accuracy. Furthermore, since the body temperature can be lowered at a set rate, the burden on the patient is small. When the body temperature is controlled based on the curve shown in FIG. 2, the body temperature is increased and decreased at a rate of 0.2 ° C. to 0.3 ° C./5 minutes in order to reduce the burden on the body. Be controlled.

<Configuration and function of thermotherapy device>
Next, with reference to FIG.3 and FIG.4, the structure of the thermal treatment apparatus concerning this Embodiment and the function of each structural member are demonstrated. FIG. 3 shows the configuration of the system excluding the control system in the thermal treatment apparatus 1, and FIG. 4 shows the configuration of the control system of the thermal treatment apparatus 1.

  The thermal treatment apparatus 1 basically includes a treatment tank 10, a circulation line 20 for warm water W, a heater 30 for heating, a water supply line 40, a drainage line 50 (see FIG. 3 above), a controller 60, and a computer 90 for control. As described above, see FIG. First, the configuration and function of the system excluding the control system in the thermal treatment apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

  Refer to the description of FIG. 1 for the structure of the treatment tank 10. The treatment tank 10 is provided with a temperature sensor 83 for measuring the temperature of the hot water W. In addition, eight hot water discharge nozzles 15 and connecting pipes 16 to 18 are attached to the treatment tank 10. In FIG. 3, nozzles and pipes are arranged in the bathtub for easy understanding of the connection state of the pipes. However, these nozzles and pipes are actually housed in the wall.

  Two adjacent nozzles 15 are connected by a first connecting pipe 16, two adjacent first connecting pipes 16 are connected to a second connecting pipe 17, and two adjacent second connecting pipes 17. Is connected to the third connecting pipe 18. With such a configuration, the hot water injected from the pipe 11 is distributed to the second connection pipe 17 via the third connection pipe 18 and further distributed to the first connection pipe 16. Hot water whose temperature is uniformly adjusted can be supplied to the treatment tank 10.

  The circulation line 20 is a pipe that forcibly circulates the hot water W between the treatment tank 10 and the heater 30, a heater 30 that heats the hot water in the middle, a pump 21 that circulates the hot water, a strainer 22 that removes dust contained in the hot water, and vice versa. A stop valve 23 is arranged.

  The hot water W heated by the heater 30 is sent to the treatment tank 10 by the pressure of the pump 21 and is diffused and jetted from the hot water discharge nozzle 15. The hot water W discharged from the treatment tank 10 is removed from the strainer 22 and then sent out from the pump 21 to circulate in the piping of the circulation line 20.

  The water supply line 40 is a pipe for injecting tap water into the hot water W to lower the temperature of the hot water W. A motor valve 41 that cuts off the supply of tap water, a flow meter 89 that measures the flow rate of tap water, and tap water A temperature sensor 85 for measuring the temperature of water and a check valve 42 are installed. When the motor valve 41 is opened, tap water is injected into the circulation line 20 through the water supply line 40 and mixed with the hot water W.

  The drainage line 50 is a pipe for draining the hot water W from the treatment tank 10, the circulation line 20 and the heater 30. The heater 30 is connected to the treatment tank 10 via the motor valve 51 and from the circulation line 20 via the motor valve 52. The hot water W is discharged into the drainage groove through the motor valve 53.

  Next, a control system of the thermal treatment apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. Based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensor and the patient's biological information measured by the measurement probe, the control system monitors the controller 60 for controlling the operation of the pump, valves, heaters, etc., and the status of the treatment apparatus 1 and the patient P. In addition, the computer 90 is configured to give a control command to the controller 60.

  The controller 60 includes a control unit 70, a monitor unit 80 and a nonvolatile memory 61. The control unit 70 controls operations of the pump 21, the motor valves 41 and 51 to 53, and the heater 30 (see FIG. 4 above) based on a command signal from the computer 90.

  The monitor unit 80 transmits the flow rate of tap water measured by the flow meter 89 to the control unit 70 and uses it for controlling the motor valve 41. The monitor unit 80 includes a temperature monitor 81 and a biological monitor 82. The temperature monitor 81 monitors the temperature of the bath of the treatment tank 10 (tub temperature), the rectal temperature of the patient P and the water temperature of the water supply line 40 (water supply temperature) measured by the temperature sensors 83, 84, and 85. Send to computer 90.

  The biological monitor 82 monitors the heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation in the blood measured by the measurement probes 86, 87, and 88, and transmits the values to the computer 90. As described above, in the thermotherapy, the living body condition is constantly monitored by the living body monitor 82 in order to forcibly raise and maintain the body temperature to 39 ° C. or higher.

  Explaining the reason for monitoring blood pressure in thermotherapy, the heat supplied from the outside is mainly carried by the whole body by blood, and blood pressure is proportional to blood flow, so there is a correlation between blood pressure and rate of increase in body temperature. Because there is. The reason why the oxygen saturation is monitored is because blood oxygen saturation may be related to the concentration of eosinophils in the blood.

  Data on the heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation in the blood of the patient under treatment monitored by the biological monitor 82 is transmitted to the computer 90 and used as basic data for creating a control command. For example, when the heart rate exceeds a predetermined value, the computer 90 sends a control command to the controller 60 to lower the rate of temperature rise or stop the temperature rise.

  The nonvolatile memory 61 stores parameters necessary when controlling the pump 21 and the like, data obtained from the monitor unit 80, and the like.

  A computer 90 as information processing means is configured by a commercially available personal computer or the like, and includes a CPU 91 as an arithmetic device, a hard disk drive (hereinafter referred to as “HDD”) 92 as a storage device, an input unit 93 such as a keyboard, and a liquid crystal display device. A display 94 is provided.

  The computer 90 reads the treatment device control program stored in the HDD 92 and causes the CPU 91 to execute the program, thereby displaying the data received from the monitor unit 80 of the controller 60 on the display 94 and providing guidance to the treatment personnel. give. Further, the computer 90 gives a control command to the controller 60 based on the treatment condition input from the input unit 93, and performs a series of treatment processes.

  FIG. 5 shows an example of a monitor screen displayed on the display 94. In the screen D1, a change with time of the rectal temperature of the patient P to be monitored is displayed in the central graph D2. The screen D1 displays information necessary for monitoring the patient, such as the patient name D3, the set temperature D4, and the current time D5, along with the graph D2.

  The operation of the thermal treatment apparatus 1 can be operated by touching the operation start button D6 or the operation end button D7 displayed on the screen with a finger. When changing the set temperature, the temperature of the set temperature change D8 is changed. When the use of the treatment apparatus 1 is ended, the end button D9 is touched with a finger. Although not shown, a call button and a save button are displayed on the screen D1 in addition to this, and by operating these buttons, the monitor information such as the bath temperature of the treatment tank 10 and the operation state of the treatment apparatus 1 is called and saved. Can do.

  Next, temperature control of the hot water W by the controller 60 will be described. The controller 60 is controlled by the command signal from the computer 90 so as to realize the temperature curve shown in FIG. When the bathtub temperature measured by the temperature sensor 83 is lower than the set temperature, the heater 30 is turned on to heat the hot water W. On the other hand, when the bath temperature of the treatment tank 10 is higher than the set temperature, the motor valve 41 is opened to inject tap water into the circulation line 20 to lower the temperature of the hot water W.

  Thus, depending on the difference between the current bath temperature and the set temperature, heating by the heater 30 or cooling by injecting tap water makes the bath temperature highly accurate with respect to the set temperature (for example, 0.05 ° C. Within)).

<Operation of thermotherapy device>
Next, the flow of the thermal treatment in the thermal treatment apparatus 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  Using a lift (not shown), the patient placed on the placing member 13 (see FIG. 1) is lowered into the treatment tank 10 and immersed in the warm water W (step S1). Thereafter, the controller 60 performs the temperature raising process described with reference to FIG. 2 in accordance with a control command from the computer 90 (step S2).

  After the start of the temperature raising process (step S2), the computer 90 calculates the body temperature (rectal temperature) of the patient P based on the rate of increase in rectal temperature measured by the temperature sensor 84 and the rate of increase in heart rate measured by the measurement probe 86. Is determined (step S3), and when the therapeutic temperature is reached (Yes in S3), as described with reference to FIG. 2, the body temperature of the patient until the predetermined therapeutic calorie is reached. A heat retention process is performed to maintain (step S4). On the other hand, if the treatment temperature has not been reached in step S3 (No), the process returns to the temperature raising process in step S2.

  Next, in step S5, the computer 90 determines whether or not a preset treatment time has elapsed, and if the set treatment time has elapsed (Yes), the temperature lowering process for lowering the patient's body temperature described in FIG. (Step S6), if not (No), the process returns to the heat retaining process of Step S4.

  After the temperature lowering process in step S6, the computer 90 determines whether or not the body temperature (rectal temperature) of the patient P has decreased to the escape temperature of the treatment tank 10 (step S7). If the temperature has decreased to the escape temperature (Yes in S7), the process proceeds to step S8 to cause the patient to escape from the treatment tank 10, and if not (No in S7), the process returns to the temperature lowering process in step S6. This completes the thermal therapy.

  In the above-described embodiment, the heater is used as the means for heating the hot water in the above-described embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a boiler may be used. Furthermore, any heating means such as a method of providing a heat exchanger on the circulation line 20 and exchanging heat with a warm liquid can be applied, and the same effect can be realized.

  In the above-described embodiment, a method of injecting tap water into the circulation line is adopted as means for cooling the hot water. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the cooling water may be directly injected into the treatment tank. Further, any cooling means such as a method of providing a heat exchanger on the circulation line 20 and exchanging heat with the coolant can be applied, and the same effect can be realized.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, a rectal temperature sensor is adopted as the patient's body temperature. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and an eardrum temperature sensor may be used, or a bladder temperature may be measured by attaching a urineator, or these may be used in combination.

<Applicable disease>
The thermotherapy device of the present invention can be used for treatment and therapy without particular limitation as long as it is a disease that can be treated by the thermotherapy device. Examples of such diseases include cancer, infectious diseases, lifestyle-related diseases, parasitic diseases, immune enhancement, immune deficiency, and drug addiction. More specifically, it is as follows.

  Examples of cancers to be treated and treated by the thermotherapy apparatus of the present invention include leukemia, gastric cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, biliary tract cancer, pancreatic cancer, renal cancer, prostate cancer, testicular cancer, endometrial cancer, ovarian cancer, and small lung cells. Cancer, biliary tract cancer, colon cancer, liver cancer, cervical cancer, colon cancer, rectal cancer, thyroid cancer, breast cancer, urological cancer, esophageal cancer, choriocarcinoma, ectopic HCG-producing tumor, gallbladder cancer, bile duct cancer, neuroblastoma , Maxillary cancer, oral cancer, oral cavity cancer, urinary tract cancer, malignant lymphoma (Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's), bladder cancer, hematopoietic tumor, non-small cell lung cancer, pheochromocytoma, gastrinoma, insulinoma, carcinoid, Examples include but are not limited to malignant tumors with hypercalcemia, adult T-cell leukemia, vulvar cancer, skin cancer, upper respiratory tract cancer, testicular tumor, sarcoma, malignant melanoma, and metastatic / recurrent cancer. .

  Examples of infections to be treated and treated by the thermotherapy apparatus of the present invention include various bacterial infections, fungal infections, HIV-1 infections, HIV-2 infections, herpesviruses (HSV-1, HSV-2). Including, but not limited to, CMV, VZV, HHV-6, HHV-7, EBV infection, adenovirus infection, human papillomavirus infection, hepatitis virus (eg HAV, HBV, HCV, etc.) Including, but not limited to, infections, Helicobacter pylori infections, parasitic infections, HTLV-1 infections.

  Lifestyle-related diseases to be treated and treated by the thermotherapy apparatus of the present invention include diabetes, arteriosclerosis (including but not limited to cerebral infarction, angina pectoris, myocardial infarction), hypertension, malignant tumor, Examples include, but are not limited to emphysema and degenerative changes in bone.

  Parasitic diseases to be treated and treated by the thermotherapy apparatus of the present invention include amoebiasis, babesiosis, coccidiosis, cryptosporidiosis, binuclear amebiasis, cross-border, ectoparasite infection, giardia flagellate disease Helminthiasis, leishmaniasis, Schistosomiasis infection, Tyreliasis, toxoplasmosis, trypanosomiasis, and Trichomonas infections and sporeworms (eg, Plasmodium virax, Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium palaeum and Plasmodium tsutsugamushi) Disease, eye infection, intestinal disease (eg, dysentery, Giardia flagellate disease), liver disease, lung disease, opportunistic infection (eg, AIDS related), malaria, but are not limited thereto.

  Examples of immune enhancement to be treated and treated by the thermotherapy apparatus of the present invention include allergic dermatitis and psoriasis, but are not limited thereto.

  Examples of immunodeficiency to be treated and treated by the thermotherapy apparatus of the present invention include, but are not limited to, pyoderma, oral gandidosis, and viral infection.

  Examples of the drug addiction to be treated and treated by the thermotherapy apparatus of the present invention include alcohol addiction, nicotine addiction, and heroin addiction, but are not limited thereto.

  In addition to these diseases, the thermotherapy device of the present invention is special in that it can contribute to the treatment of interstitial cystitis. Interstitial cystitis refers to chronic bladder inflammation that does not involve bacterial infection, and it has severe pain, urgency, frequent urination, and so on, which can cause serious problems in the patient's normal life. It is a disease that comes. Although it is said that there are about 250,000 patients with interstitial cystitis in Japan and about 1 million in the United States, the cause has not been determined, and a fundamental cure has not yet been established. It has not been.

  At present, the symptoms of interstitial cystitis are thought to be caused by the following causes. That is, due to various factors such as exposure to allergic antigens and toxic substances, urinary tract infection, mechanical stimulation, autonomic nerve imbalance, etc., white blood cells, especially eosinophils, gather in the bladder tissue and cause inflammation as a biological reaction, Due to this inflammation, 1) the bladder wall becomes fibrotic and the contraction / expansion function of the bladder is reduced, 2) the bladder mucosa is damaged and cannot play a protective role, and 3) an ulcer is formed in the mucosa.

  In addition to the above diseases, the thermotherapy apparatus of the present invention can also contribute to the elimination of obesity, which accounts for many causes of joint diseases such as lifestyle-related diseases and knee osteoarthritis.

  Hereinafter, the Example which used the above-mentioned thermotherapy apparatus 1 for the treatment of interstitial cystitis is described based on a clinical trial result. Specifically, clinical trials with the following contents were conducted on patients with interstitial cystitis.

<Subject>
The test subject is a 62 year old male. There was a history of prostate enlargement 7 years ago, and it was diagnosed as interstitial cystitis from symptoms such as pain, urgency, and frequent urination (every 15 minutes). It has passed. The subject had undergone a third bladder expansion operation one month before the start of the trial (June 2010), but pain and frequent urination recurred soon after the operation (about two weeks). Furthermore, the subject has developed Stevens-Johnson syndrome (the most severe type of drug eruption caused by a drug) in both upper arms over 4 years. The normal temperature of the subject's rectal temperature was 37.2 ° C.

<Clinical trial procedure>
The clinical trial was conducted according to the following procedure. First, various measurement probes such as a temperature sensor 84 for measuring rectal temperature and a measurement probe (pulse oximeter) 88 for measuring blood oxygen saturation are attached to the subject (see FIG. 4), and the subject is kept at 37.15 ° C. It was immersed in the treatment tank 10 filled with warm water. Next, after raising the temperature of the hot water over 45 minutes so that the rectal temperature of the subject is 39.0 ° C., the bath temperature of the treatment tank 10 is maintained so that the rectal temperature is maintained at 39.0 ° C. The subject was bathed in the treatment tank for 50 minutes while controlling the temperature, and was kept warm. Immediately after the end of the heat retention process, the patient's body temperature stopped increasing and the decrease began, and the subject was allowed to escape from the treatment tank 10.

  Before and after bathing and during bathing, venous blood was collected from the subject, and the blood analyzer collected the number of eosinophils in the collected venous blood and the percentage of eosinophils in white blood cells (Horiba's Pentra 60 LC-5000 ) And the blood pH was measured with a blood gas analyzer (IL GEM Premier 3000). And bathing and measuring were done several times with different days. The results are shown in Table 1, FIG. 7 and FIG.

<Results of clinical trial>
Table 1 shows the ratio of eosinophils in leukocytes before and after the trial. FIG. 7 (a) is a graph showing the number of eosinophils in 1 μL of blood before and after the trial, and FIG. FIG. FIG. 8A is a graph showing the correlation between rectal temperature and blood pH, and FIG. 8B is a graph showing the correlation between rectal temperature and blood oxygen saturation. In the figure, R indicates a correlation coefficient.

  From Table 1 and FIG. 7, it was found that the number of eosinophils in the blood and the ratio of eosinophils were greatly reduced by repeating the treatment. In particular, after the fourth treatment, the proportion of eosinophils was significantly reduced from 9.4% before treatment to 2.2%, and was within the standard value range of 1.0 to 3.6%. Moreover, it was found from FIG. 8 that there is a correlation between rectal temperature and blood pH, and rectal temperature and blood oxygen saturation. That is, when the rectal temperature was raised, it was found that blood pH and blood oxygen saturation also increased.

  By repeating the treatment using the thermotherapy device 1, the number of eosinophils in the blood decreased and clinical symptoms also improved. That is, the pain associated with interstitial cystitis was significantly reduced by the first treatment (reduced to about half by experience). In addition, on the day of the second treatment, the number of urinations at night was remarkably reduced (1/4 before treatment), and it was possible to sleep well for more than 3 hours after a long time.

  Before the fourth treatment, urgency due to pain that occurred four times per hour decreased to once every two hours, which is the number of normal urination after treatment, and the symptoms were remarkably improved. After the fourth treatment, the pain associated with inflammation of the bladder almost disappeared. Furthermore, after the fourth treatment, eczema on both upper arms, which seems to be a sequela of Stevens-Johnson syndrome, disappeared.

  The number of urinations during the day, which was 3 times in 2 hours before the 6th treatment, drastically decreased to about once every 2 hours after the treatment, and returned to the normal number of times. This has made it possible to travel long distances, which was difficult in the past. In addition, after the sixth treatment, pain associated with inflammation of the bladder completely disappeared.

  From the above results, it has been confirmed that treatment with the thermotherapy device 1 of the present invention reduces eosinophils in the blood and greatly improves the symptoms of interstitial cystitis. From this, it was confirmed that the symptoms of interstitial cystitis can be alleviated by reducing the number and concentration of eosinophils in the blood.

  In addition, the temperature of warm water at the time of bathing and the treatment time are adjusted according to the age, sex, body shape, medical condition, etc. of the subject (patient). As long as other diseases such as disturbance of consciousness do not occur, it is better to increase the rectal temperature as much as possible and the treatment time as long as possible. The reason is that eosinophils tend to decrease when the pH and oxygen saturation are high, and as shown in FIG. 8, the blood pH and blood oxygen saturation increase as the rectal temperature increases. . Specifically, the temperature of the warm water and the bathing time may be adjusted so that the rectal temperature is normal temperature + 2 ° C. ± 0.2 ° C. and the treatment time is in the range of 15 minutes to 90 minutes.

  Hereinafter, the effect of the above-described thermotherapy device 1 on weight loss was examined. Specifically, it investigated as shown below.

<Practitioner>
The subjects were three people with different ages and genders, and the number of treatments (the number of treatment days) was changed according to the subject. Specifically, the patient (a) was a 49-year-old male (normal rectal temperature was 37.15 ° C.), and the number of treatments was 13 (the number of treatment days was 165 days). The patient (b) was a 52-year-old woman (normal temperature of rectal temperature was 37.04 ° C.), and the number of treatments was 26 (the number of treatment days was 135 days). Furthermore, the patient (c) was a 45-year-old woman (the rectal temperature was 37.59 ° C.), and the number of treatments was 16 (128 days).

<Surgery procedure>
After measuring the weight of the patient, the procedure was performed according to the following procedure. First, as in FIG. 4, various measurement probes were attached to the subject, and the subject was immersed in the treatment tank 10 filled with normal water and warm water of 2.5 ° C. Next, the temperature of the hot water is increased over 30 to 45 minutes so that the rectal temperature of the patient becomes 39.0 ° C., and then the treatment tank is maintained so that the rectal temperature is maintained at 39.0 ° C. While controlling the bath temperature of 10, the patient was bathed in the treatment tank 10 for 60 minutes to perform a heat treatment. Immediately after the end of the heat retention process, the increase in the patient's body temperature stopped and the decrease began, the patient was allowed to escape from the treatment tank 10.

<Result of treatment>
FIG. 9 shows the relationship between the number of treatments and the body weight, which are treatment results. In addition, FIG. 9 (a) shows the treatment result of the patient (a), FIG. 9 (b) shows the treatment result of the patient (b), and FIG. 9 (c) shows the treatment result of the patient (c). Show. From FIG. 9, by increasing the number of treatments, it was possible to confirm the effect of weight loss, that is, weight loss, in any subject.

  In addition, the temperature of warm water at the time of bathing and the treatment time are adjusted according to the age, sex, body shape, medical condition, etc. of the person to be treated. As long as other diseases such as disturbance of consciousness do not occur, it is better to increase the rectal temperature as much as possible and the treatment time as long as possible. The reason is that the higher the rectal temperature, the higher the heart rate and the higher the sweating action and calorie consumption. Specifically, the temperature of the warm water and the bathing time may be adjusted so that the rectal temperature is normal temperature + 2 ° C. ± 0.2 ° C. and the treatment time is in the range of 15 minutes to 90 minutes.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Thermal therapy apparatus 10 Treatment tank 11, 12 Pipe 13 Placement member 15 Hot water discharge nozzle 16, 17, 18 Connection pipe 20 Circulation line 21 Pump 22 Strainer 23, 42 Check valve 30 Heater 40 Water supply line 41, 51, 52, 53 Motor valve 50 Drain line 60 Controller 61 Non-volatile memory 70 Control unit 80 Monitor unit 81 Temperature monitor 82 Biological monitor 83, 84, 85 Temperature sensor 86, 87, 88 Measuring probe 89 Flow meter 90 Computer

Claims (9)

A thermotherapy device that performs thermotherapy by immersing almost the entire body other than the patient's head in warm water,
A first temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the hot water;
A second temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the patient;
A controller for controlling the temperature of the hot water;
Based on the temperature of the hot water measured by the first temperature sensor and the body temperature of the patient measured by the second temperature sensor, the patient's body temperature rises, keeps and cools while drawing a predetermined curve set in advance. A computer for giving a control command to the controller,
A thermal treatment apparatus comprising:   The thermotherapy apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second temperature sensor measures rectal temperature as a patient's body temperature.   The thermotherapy apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a measurement probe for measuring a heart rate of the patient.   The thermotherapy apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a measurement probe for measuring a patient's blood pressure.   The thermotherapy apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a measurement probe for measuring oxygen saturation in blood.   The thermotherapy apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a patient with interstitial cystitis is immersed in warm water and the body temperature is maintained at a predetermined treatment temperature to perform thermotherapy.   The rectal temperature is measured as the patient's body temperature, and the temperature of the hot water is controlled by the controller so that the rectal temperature becomes a normal temperature + 2 ° C. ± 0.2 ° C., and the treatment time is set to 15 minutes to 90 minutes. The thermotherapy device according to claim 6, characterized in that   The thermal treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the treatment subject is immersed in warm water, the body temperature is maintained at a predetermined treatment temperature, and the thermal treatment is performed to reduce the amount of the treatment subject.   The rectal temperature is measured as the body temperature of the patient, and the temperature of the hot water is controlled by the controller so that the rectal temperature becomes normal temperature + 2 ° C. ± 0.2 ° C., and the treatment time is set to 15 minutes to 90 minutes. The thermotherapy apparatus according to claim 8, wherein:

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