JP3753761B2 - Phototherapy equipment - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a phototherapy device. More particularly, hospitals and medical facilities, medical care, medical research institutions and research facilities, it relates to the treatment equipment to be used for the purpose of yellow疸treatment Te universities smell.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Jaundice is caused by a yellow substance (bile pigment) called bilirubin in the blood. This substance is formed from hemoglobin, a blood cell pigment, when red blood cells are lysed, but the balance between the production of bilirubin and its degradation rate in the liver is lost, and the rate of degradation is relatively slow, resulting in the concentration of bilirubin in the blood. Jaundice occurs when becomes high. Jaundice is most noticeable in newborns. Newborn jaundice is said to occur because the degrading enzymes in the baby's liver do not work well for about a week after birth, and the concentration of bilirubin in the blood increases. In the case of a newborn baby, the degrading enzyme usually begins to degrade bilirubin in about 2 weeks, and jaundice disappears. However, in the case of premature infants who have not yet developed this degrading action, strong jaundice may occur. Severe jaundice may also occur during pregnancy if the mother and fetal blood types are incompatible. Such severe jaundice symptoms are called nuclear jaundice, which causes damage to the central nervous system including the cerebrum of the newborn, and in severe cases can lead to cerebral palsy or death.
Conventionally, phototherapy has been used as a treatment method for such newborn jaundice. This is a substance in which bilirubin, a pigment that causes jaundice, is easily decomposed into light. In particular, by irradiating the skin with blue, blue-green, or green light having a wavelength of 400 to 550 nanometers (nm), By lowering bilirubin concentration. This is because light of such a wavelength changes bilirubin (indirect bilirubin), which is difficult to dissolve in water immediately after generation, to water-soluble, that is, a form of bilirubin (direct bilirubin) that is easy to dissolve in the blood, together with bile from the liver It is because it is excreted in the intestine and then mixed with feces and urine to be excreted outside the body.
As a radiation source for phototherapy, a fluorescent tube lamp (fluorescent lamp) in which a blue or blue-green fluorescent material is applied to the inner wall of the tube as a main component that emits light having the above wavelength region as a main component has hitherto been used. Has been used. FIG. 4 shows such a fluorescent-type neonatal jaundice treatment incubator. In addition, a high-intensity lamp (such as a halogen lamp or a xenon lamp) is provided with a bandpass filter (bandpass filter) that passes only the above wavelength region, and the output light is extracted and used with a multi-branch optical fiber. There are also things.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Problems with such a conventional light treatment light source are that, in the case of a fluorescent lamp (conventional example 1), (1) ultraviolet rays harmful to the eyes are included in addition to the blue and blue-green light components. It is necessary to wear an eye patch to protect the retina (see Fig. 4 ), (2) the intensity of light cannot be changed freely, (3) the lamp voltage is as high as several tens of volts, and there is a risk of electric shock, (4) There is a risk that the lamp will break, (5) The lamp is stick-shaped, so it can only be used as a fixed light source, (6) It cannot irradiate light in contact with the skin, (7) The lamp itself generates considerable heat, (8) The lamp has a lifetime, (9) the mother feels uneasy.
On the other hand, in the case of the light source using the optical fiber (conventional example 2), light can be irradiated in contact with the skin, but (1) the light utilization efficiency is low, (2) the power consumption is large, (3) the device itself is Expensive, (4) There is no worry of electric shock, but the optical fiber cable itself is thick and difficult to bend, making it difficult to use.
[0004]
An object of the present invention is to provide an effective and simple phototherapy device that can eliminate all the problems of the above-mentioned conventional examples 1 and 2, can arbitrarily control the necessary light quantity without damaging the baby's retina. .
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems ]
Light beam therapy system 請 Motomeko 1, sewing a light emitting diode for the light in the optical wavelength (from 400nm to 550 nm) region from blue to green and emission center wavelength (peak wavelength), a plurality, clothing It is characterized by a radiation light source.
The phototherapy device according to claim 2, in which a plurality of light emitting diodes having a light emission central wavelength (peak wavelength) within a light wavelength region (from 400 nm to 550 nm) ranging from blue to green are embedded in a futon. As a radiation light source, the futon is made of a light-transmitting fiber and is laid in a box of a phototherapy device.
[0006]
According to the present invention, a light emitting diode that emits light having a wavelength that efficiently converts oily bilirubin (indirect bilirubin), which is a causative agent of jaundice, into water-soluble bilirubin (direct bilirubin) by photochemical action is used as a radiation light source. Jaundice can be treated effectively and simply. In the case of jaundice treatment, it is necessary to control the intensity of irradiation light according to the severity of jaundice symptoms, but since the light emitting diode is used in the present invention, light intensity proportional to the input current can be easily obtained, and irradiation is performed. Easy light control.
[0007]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) can be lit with low voltage, low current, and low power, and are widely used as optical display elements (optical displays), optical communication light sources, and the like as representative semiconductor light-emitting elements. In the early 1980s, ultra-bright red light emitting diodes with a luminous intensity exceeding 1 candela (cd) were developed. After that, high-brightness and short-wavelengths of luminescent colors progressed rapidly. Light emitting diodes that emit light are very difficult to manufacture, and it was thought that their appearance would be in the 21st century. However, in November 1993, Nichia Corporation announced that it has succeeded in developing the world's first 1 cd ultra-bright blue light-emitting diode (emission peak wavelength 450 nm).
This groundbreaking achievement has made it possible to replace a blue fluorescent tube (fluorescent lamp) lamp using a blue light emitting fluorescent material with a blue light emitting diode. In April 1994, the company also announced a 2cd ultra-bright blue-green light-emitting diode with an emission peak wavelength of 500 nm. The present inventor, who has been engaged in applied research on light emitting diodes for many years, has now focused on these articles and came up with the idea that blue or blue-green light emitting diodes can be used as a light source for treating jaundice.
[0008]
Phototherapy device using the light emitting diode of the present invention as a light source, a blue newborn Kogawa peel jaundice symptoms, by irradiating light from the light emitting diode that emits blue-green or green light, lowering the concentration of bilirubin subcutaneous, Can treat jaundice.
In addition, the light emitting diode can obtain an optical output substantially proportional to the input current. FIG. 1 shows the input current versus light illuminance characteristics of a blue-green blue-green light-emitting diode NLPC500E-490 (1 unit) manufactured by Nichia Corporation used in the present invention. The current and light illuminance increase in proportion to the current. Show. Therefore, it is possible to adjust the light intensity by controlling the current value according to the severity of jaundice symptoms.
Furthermore, this phototherapy device has various effects as follows.
(1) It emits only pure color light with a narrow wavelength spectrum in the light wavelength range of 400 to 550 nm (from blue to blue green to green), which is effective for the treatment of bilirubinous jaundice. Does not radiate light or heat rays (infrared rays).
(2) The voltage required for lighting the blue to green light emitting diodes is 3.5 V at most, and there is no concern of electric shock as long as the light emitting diodes are connected in parallel. It can be lit at a low voltage of several volts and there is almost no risk of electric shock.
(3) Low power consumption and high efficiency.
(4) Light-emitting diodes are small in size with a diameter of 5 mm and a length of about 8 mm or less even with normal ones. Ultra-brightness type diodes are extremely small with a small input current of about several mA (milliampere). Strong light output can be obtained.
(5) By attaching a large number of light emitting diodes to a flexible substrate as well as a plate substrate, a planar light source that can be bent freely can be obtained. Therefore, in addition to conventional phototherapy devices that have a light source on the top lid of the incubator, phototherapy with light-emitting diodes embedded in clothing, such as bands or gowns, futons, mats, and mattresses. A tool can be realized.
The term “clothing” as used in the claims is a concept including an abdominal band described later in addition to a band (girdle) and gown here. The “futon” is a concept including a mat, a mattress, and a mattress described later.
(6) The light emitting diode is molded of a very hard hard plastic and will not be broken by a normal impact.
[0009 ]
[ 0010]
FIG. 2 shows a phototherapy device in which blue-green light emitting diodes are sewn on the abdominal band, and is used by wrapping around a baby's body.
[0011]
FIG. 3 shows a phototherapy device of a type in which a blue-green light emitting diode is embedded and embedded in a futon ( which means that includes a mat ). Futon is made of good fibers translucent.
[0012 ]
The present invention is mainly intended for treating newborn jaundice, but is also effective for treating jaundice in children and adults. It is also effective for treating purple and yellow bruises on the skin caused by internal bleeding caused by bruises, drip, and injection. It is considered that the jaundice light treatment apparatus of the present invention using a light emitting diode as a light source may be replaced with a fluorescent lamp type jaundice treatment apparatus that is currently widely used.
[0013]
【The invention's effect】
The effects of the present invention are as follows.
( 1 ) Since oily bilirubin (indirect bilirubin), which is a causative substance of jaundice, is efficiently converted into water-soluble bilirubin (direct bilirubin) by photochemical action, jaundice can be effectively and easily treated.
( 2 ) Light intensity proportional to the input current can be easily obtained, and irradiation light control can be easily performed.
( 3 ) Harmless to eyes.
( 4 ) There is no risk of electric shock.
( 5 ) Low power consumption.
( 6 ) A strong light output can be obtained.
( 7 ) The degree of freedom of the shape of the light source is high, and treatment devices of various shapes and configurations can be realized.
( 8 ) It is hard to break and safe.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a graph showing input current versus light illuminance characteristics of a blue-green-blue-green light-emitting diode NLPC500E-490 (one) manufactured by Nichia Corporation used in the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of a jaundice light treatment device in which blue-green light emitting diodes are sewn into the abdominal band.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory view of a jaundice light treatment apparatus in which a blue-green light emitting diode is embedded in a bed futon.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of a conventional neonatal jaundice light treatment apparatus in which a blue fluorescent lamp is attached to the upper lid of the incubator.

Claims (2)

A plurality of light-emitting diodes that emit light in the light wavelength range from blue to green (from 400 nm to 550 nm) with the central wavelength (peak wavelength) of light emitted are sewn on clothing to provide a radiation source .
A phototherapy device characterized by the above .   Light wavelength from blue to green ( 400 from nm 550 (up to nm) A plurality of light emitting diodes with light in the region as the central wavelength (peak wavelength) of light emission are embedded in a futon and used as a radiation light source,
The futon is made of translucent fiber and is laid in the box of the phototherapy device
A phototherapy device characterized by the above.

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