KR20140141087A - Portable device for therapeutic hypothermia - Google Patents

Abstract

A portable device for treating hypothermia includes a pad unit, a body temperature sensor, and a control system. The pad unit includes a plurality of cooling modules, each of which cools a part of the human body and includes a thermoelectric element. The body temperature sensor comes in contact with the human body to measure body temperature. The control system maintains hypothermia state by controlling electric current provided to each thermoelectric element based on the temperature measured by the body temperature sensor.

Description

[0001] PORTABLE DEVICE FOR THERAPEUTIC HYPOTHERMIA [0002]

The present invention relates to a portable hypothermic apparatus, and more particularly, to a portable hypothermic apparatus used for hypothermic therapy, cooling therapy, and temperature control.

Therapeutic hypothermia is a therapeutic method aiming at lowering the body temperature of a human body, reducing metabolism and oxygen consumption of the body, and prolonging the time for enduring the hypoxic state of the organs and blocking blood flow. .

The hypothermia treatment is widely used in an emergency situation. The emergency situation can be largely classified into a moving emergency situation and a situation in a hospital emergency room. In the latter case, a hypothermic treatment is performed through a cooling pad and a medical cooler (a method of circulating cooled water including a water tank) for more precise temperature control, which is a bulky problem for the medical cooler It is not possible to use it in an emergency while on the move.

Accordingly, in an emergency in a moving state, it is general to perform hypothermic treatment by temporarily using a coolant pack, an ice pack, or the like. However, in the case of the hypothermic treatment using the refrigerant pack or the ice bag, it is very difficult to lower the deep body temperature of the patient to the target temperature (generally 32 to 34 degrees), and the deep body temperature of the patient is kept within the target temperature range It is more difficult to do.

Therefore, a method of hypothermic treatment for use in an emergency in a moving state is also used in which a catheter is inserted into the nostril of a patient and a volatile liquid is introduced to lower the temperature of the patient's brain. However, since the catheter is inserted into the nostril, , And patients with additional nasal obstruction may have difficulty performing simultaneous treatment with hypothermia.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a portable hypothermic apparatus having improved portability and hypothermia.

The portable hypothermic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a pad unit, a body temperature sensor, and a control system. The pad portion includes a plurality of cooling modules each including a thermoelectric element to cool a portion of the body. The body temperature sensor contacts the body to measure the body temperature. The control system controls a current supplied to the thermoelectric elements based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensor to maintain a low temperature state.

In one embodiment, the cooling modules are spaced apart and arranged at regular intervals, and the cooling modules can be connected to the control system through a first connection.

In one embodiment, the cooling modules may be arranged to be generally circular or rectangular in shape.

In one embodiment, the cooling module may further include a cover portion covering an outer surface of the pad portion to fix the cooling modules therein.

In one embodiment, the control system includes a temperature controller connected to the first connection unit to control a current supplied to the thermoelectric elements, a monitoring unit monitoring a temperature measured by the temperature sensor, And a power supply unit for supplying power.

In one embodiment, each of the cooling modules may include a bonding portion that directly contacts the skin of the body, and a heat radiating portion that is disposed on the bonding portion and radiates heat to the outside. The thermoelectric element may be disposed between the bonding portion and the heat dissipating portion.

In one embodiment, each of the cooling modules includes a heat transfer portion disposed between the thermoelectric element and the adhering portion and having an excellent thermal conductivity, and a heat transfer portion covering the periphery of the thermoelectric element and disposed between the heat transfer portion and the heat dissipation portion And may further include an insulating portion.

In one embodiment, the thermoelectric element absorbs heat in the direction of the heat transfer portion and can generate heat toward the heat dissipating portion.

In one embodiment, the bonding portion may be a hydrogel having excellent thermal conductivity and excellent adhesion to the skin.

According to the embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to perform a hypothermia treatment in which a body is cooled and maintained in a low-temperature state through a thermoelectric element included in a pad portion, and a hypothermia treatment device including the pad portion can be carried, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > hypothermia < / RTI > In this case, since the body temperature of the patient is measured through the control system and the temperature of the thermoelectric element is controlled, the effect of the treatment can be improved by continuously maintaining the low temperature state.

Particularly, the thermoelectric elements are included in each of the cooling modules of the pad portion, so that the cooling effect can be improved while omitting the components of the conventional separate cooling water tank and the like, and portability can be improved.

Also, since the cooling modules are arranged at regular intervals, the body in contact with the pad portion can be uniformly cooled, and the cooling modules can be arranged in a circular shape or a square shape as a whole, so that they can conform to various body shapes.

Further, since the pad portion is covered with a separate cover portion, portability and usability can be improved.

In addition, the cooling module may include a bonding portion having a high thermal conductivity to increase the cooling effect, and the heat generated from the thermoelectric element can be easily dissipated to the outside, including the heat dissipating portion.

1 is a schematic diagram showing a portable hypothermia treatment device according to an embodiment of the present invention and its use state.
2 is a plan view showing the pad portion of FIG.
3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II 'in Fig.
4 is a plan view showing a pad unit of a portable hypothermic apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II 'of FIG.
6 is a plan view illustrating a pad unit of a portable hypothermic apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a plan view showing a pad unit of a portable hypothermic apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, is intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention. Like reference numerals are used for like elements in describing each drawing. The terms first, second, etc. may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms.

The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. The terminology used in this application is used only to describe a specific embodiment and is not intended to limit the invention. The singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In the present application, the term "comprises" or "comprising ", etc. is intended to specify that there is a stated feature, figure, step, operation, component, But do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, parts, or combinations thereof.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries are to be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the contextual meaning of the related art and are to be interpreted as either ideal or overly formal in the sense of the present application Do not.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a schematic diagram showing a portable hypothermia treatment device according to an embodiment of the present invention and its use state.

Referring to FIG. 1, the portable hypothermic apparatus 100 includes a pad unit 200, a control system 300, and a body temperature sensor 400.

Although not shown, the portable low-temperature therapy apparatus 100 can be carried in a state where the pad unit 200 and the body temperature sensor 400 are stored in a control box including the control system 300, It can be conveniently used in various places without restrictions. Therefore, emergency patients can also be used in rescue vehicles in transit, so that hypothermia treatment can perform immediate care for urgent patients.

The pad unit 200 includes a plurality of cooling modules, each of which includes a thermoelectric element, as will be described in detail later. Thus, a part of the body 10 to which the pad unit 200 contacts can be cooled through the cooling module to lower the body temperature to the low temperature state or to maintain the low temperature state.

In this case, the pad unit 200 includes a plurality of pad units 200, which can be attached to the patient's body 10 as needed for hypothermia treatment. 1, the pad part 200 is in contact with the chest area, but a plurality of pad parts may be attached to each part of the body 10, if necessary.

The body temperature sensor 400 is attached to the patient's body 10 to measure the body temperature of the patient and transmits the measured temperature to the control system 300 to be described later.

The control system 300 includes a temperature control unit 310, a power supply unit 320, and a monitoring unit 330.

The temperature control unit 310 is connected to the pad unit 200 through a first connection unit 311 and the monitoring unit 330 is connected to the body temperature sensor 400 through a second connection unit 331.

The monitoring unit 300 monitors the body temperature of the patient measured through the body temperature sensor 400 and transmits the monitored body temperature to the temperature control unit 310.

The temperature control unit 310 receives power from the power source unit 320 and supplies power to the pad unit 200 based on information about the body temperature of the patient. That is, the temperature control unit 310 receives information on the body temperature of the patient and feeds current to the thermoelectric element of the pad unit 200 to lower the body temperature of the patient's body 10, And maintained at a target body temperature (about 32 degrees to 34 degrees) suitable for treatment.

As described above, in the conventional technology for lowering the body temperature of a patient by using a simple cooling pack or an ice bag through the portable hypothermic apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, the target body temperature suitable for hypothermic treatment can be obtained It is possible to overcome problems that are difficult to maintain. Particularly, since the body temperature is monitored through the body temperature sensor and the temperature of the pad unit is controlled, not only portability but also ease of use can be improved.

2 is a plan view showing the pad portion of FIG.

Referring to FIG. 2, the pad unit 200 includes a plurality of cooling modules. The cooling modules 210, 220, ..., and 290 are connected through the first connection part 311 to receive current.

In FIG. 2, the number of the cooling modules is nine as the first to ninth cooling modules 210, 220,..., And 290, but the number of the cooling modules may be variously changed. In addition, although each of the cooling modules has a rectangular shape, it may be modified into various shapes such as a circular shape and an elliptical shape.

Specifically, the first connection 311 includes an inflow line 312 and an outflow line 313, and the current is supplied to the seventh cooling module 270 through the inflow line 312 along the direction of the arrow shown And then flows to the outflow line 313 through the eighth cooling module 280, the ninth cooling module 290, the first cooling module 210, the sixth cooling module 260, and the like. In this case, the order and direction in which the current flows may be variously modified, but the current flows through the cooling modules 210, 220, ..., and 290 in one circuit.

On the other hand, the current is transmitted to the thermoelectric elements included in the respective cooling modules to be described later, and cooling of the patient's body 10 is performed.

As shown in FIG. 2, the first to ninth cooling modules 210,..., And 290 are arranged in a circular shape as a whole, and a sixth cooling module 260 is arranged at the center. Thus, the cooling modules are spaced apart from one another by a certain distance. Accordingly, when the first to ninth cooling modules 210, ..., and 290 are arranged in the arrangement shown in FIG. 2, the body 10 of the patient, which is covered by the pad unit 200, Can be uniformly cooled.

Alternatively, the cooling modules may be arranged in various shapes such as a polygonal shape including a quadrangle, an elliptical shape, etc. in addition to the circular shape shown in FIG. 2, ) Is uniformly cooled.

3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line I-I 'in FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the first cooling module 210, the second cooling module 210, the second cooling module 220, the second cooling module 220, Since the structure and shape are the same, only the first cooling module 210 will be described below.

Referring to FIG. 3, the first cooling module 210 includes a bonding portion 211, a heat transfer portion 212, a thermoelectric element 213, a heat insulating portion 214, and a heat dissipating portion 215.

The adhesive portion 211 is in direct contact with the skin 11 of the patient and is excellent in thermal conductivity to easily transmit the cooling heat provided through the thermoelectric device 213 to the skin 11. [ In addition, the adhesive portion 211 may be made harmless to the skin 11, and may include, for example, a hydrogel.

The heat transfer part 212 is disposed on the upper surface of the bonding part 211 and has a good thermal conductivity to easily transfer the cooling heat provided through the thermoelectric element 213 to the bonding part 211.

On the other hand, both the adhesive portion 211 and the heat transfer portion 212 have a larger area than the thermoelectric element 213. Thus, the heat can be transmitted to the skin 11 with a wider area without loss of cooling heat generated from the thermoelectric element 213.

The thermoelectric element 213 is a device (Peltier element) using a peltier effect. The thermoelectric element 213 is connected to the first connection part 311 to receive current, which absorbs heat on one side and generates heat on the other side. In this case, the surface (the cooling surface, COLD) causing heat absorption is directed to the heat transfer portion 212, and the surface (HOT) causing the heat generation is arranged to face the heat dissipation portion 215. Thus, the cooling heat generated through the thermoelectric element 213 is transferred to the skin 11 through the heat transfer part 212 and the adhering part 211.

On the other hand, the heat dissipating unit 215 is disposed on a surface of the thermoelectric element 212 that generates heat. Thus, the heat generated by the thermoelectric element 212 is easily dissipated to the outside, thereby improving the skin cooling effect by the thermoelectric element 212 relatively.

The area of the heat dissipating unit 215 is designed to be larger than that of the thermoelectric element 213, so that the heat radiation effect of the thermoelectric element 213 can be improved.

The heat dissipating unit 215 and the heat transfer unit 212 are designed to have an area larger than that of the thermoelectric device 213 so that the heat dissipation unit 215 and the heat transfer unit 212 are in direct contact with each other A heat insulating portion 214 is formed. Thus, heat exchange between the cooled heat transfer portion 212 and the heated heat dissipation portion 215 is blocked.

Although not shown in the sectional view of FIG. 3, the heat insulating portion 214 may be formed around the thermoelectric element 213 to improve the heat insulating effect.

4 is a plan view showing a pad unit of a portable hypothermic apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II 'of FIG.

The pad unit 500 of the portable hypothermic apparatus according to the present embodiment is substantially the same as the pad unit 200 described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 except that the pad unit 500 further includes the cover unit 510, do.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the pad unit 500 of the portable hypothermic apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a cover unit 510 and a plurality of cooling modules 520,... In this case, since each of the cooling modules has the same structure and shape as the first cooling module 520, only the first cooling module 520 will be described.

The first cooling module 520 has the same structure as the first cooling module 210 described with reference to FIG. 3 and includes a bonding portion 521, a heat transfer portion 522, a thermoelectric element 523, a heat insulating portion 524, And a heat dissipating unit 525. [ In this case, the detailed description of each configuration is redundant and will be omitted.

However, in this embodiment, the adhesive portion 521 does not directly contact the skin 11, and the bottom surface of the adhesive portion 521 is covered with the cover portion 510. [ Likewise, the heat dissipating section 525 is not directly in contact with the outside air, and the upper surface of the heat dissipating section 525 is covered by the cover section 510.

That is, the cover 510 entirely covers the first cooling module 520 to cool the first cooling module 520 in the first space 511 formed by the cover 510 Modules and a part of the inflow line 312 and the outflow line 313 of the first connection part 311 are accommodated.

Since the cover 510 covers a part of the cooling modules 520, ... and the first connection part 311, it is possible to maintain the arrangement of the cooling modules, Usability can be improved.

However, since the cover portion 510 is in direct contact with the skin 11, the cover portion 510 should be free of harmfulness during skin contact, and formed of a material having excellent thermal conductivity.

6 is a plan view illustrating a pad unit of a portable hypothermic apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

6, the pad unit 600 of the portable hypothermic apparatus according to the present embodiment is substantially the same as the pad unit 500 described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 except for the shape of the cover unit 610, And the description thereof will be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 6, the pad unit 600 according to the present embodiment includes a cover unit 610 and a plurality of cooling modules 620,... In this case, each of the cooling modules has the same structure as that of the first cooling module 620, and the first cooling module 620 has the same structure as the first cooling module 520 described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 Therefore, redundant description is omitted.

The cover portion 610 has a circular shape as a whole and has a shape in which a portion between the cooling modules 620, ... is recessed as shown in FIG. Thus, when the cover part 610 is placed on the surface of the spherical object, the cover part 610 can cover the surface of the spherical object.

That is, when the pad unit 600 is positioned at the head, it is possible to effectively cover the entire surface of the head.

7 is a plan view showing a pad unit of a portable hypothermic apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

7, the pad portion 700 of the portable hypothermia treatment device according to the present embodiment is similar to that shown in Figs. 1 to 5 except for the shape of the cover portion 710 and the arrangement of the cooling modules 720, The pad units 200 and 500 are substantially the same as those of the pad units 200 and 500 described above.

7, the pad portion 700 according to the present embodiment includes a cover portion 710 and a plurality of cooling modules 720, .... In this case, each of the cooling modules has the same structure as the first cooling module 720, and the first cooling module 720 includes the first cooling modules 210 and 520 described in FIGS. 3, 4, And thus the description thereof will be omitted.

However, in the present embodiment, the cooling modules 720, ... are arranged in a plurality of parallel rows, and a plurality of cooling modules are arranged in one row. That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the two cooling modules may be arranged in four parallel rows, and the number of rows and the number of cooling modules arranged in one row may be variously combined.

In this case, the first connection part 311 includes an inflow line 312 and an outflow line 313, and the cooling modules 720, ... are connected to each other through the first connection part 311 do. The first connection part 311 may be disposed so as to minimize the area of the pad part 700 as a whole.

The cover unit 710 has a rectangular shape as a whole and the cover unit 710 accommodates the cooling modules 720 and the first connection unit 311 therein. do.

As described above, since the pad portion 700 according to the present embodiment has a generally rectangular shape, it can be arranged to effectively cover the chest region.

As described above, the pad portion can be designed in various shapes other than the shape described above, as well as the circular shape and the partially embedded shape of the circle and the square, so that the pad portion is deformed to conform to the body structure to improve the convenience and cooling effect .

According to embodiments of the present invention as described above, it is possible to perform a hypothermia treatment in which a body is cooled through a thermoelectric element included in a pad portion to maintain a low temperature state, and a hypothermia treatment device including the pad portion can be carried, An immediate hypothermic treatment can be performed on the emergency patient being treated. In this case, since the body temperature of the patient is measured through the control system and the temperature of the thermoelectric element is controlled, the effect of the treatment can be improved by continuously maintaining the low temperature state.

Particularly, the thermoelectric elements are included in each of the cooling modules of the pad portion, so that the cooling effect can be improved while omitting the components of the conventional separate cooling water tank and the like, and portability can be improved.

Also, since the cooling modules are arranged at regular intervals, the body in contact with the pad portion can be uniformly cooled, and the cooling modules can be arranged in a circular shape or a square shape as a whole, so that they can conform to various body shapes.

Further, since the pad portion is covered with a separate cover portion, portability and usability can be improved.

In addition, the cooling module may include a bonding portion having a high thermal conductivity to increase the cooling effect, and the heat generated from the thermoelectric element can be easily dissipated to the outside, including the heat dissipating portion.

The portable hypothermic apparatus according to the present invention has industrial applicability that can be used for the treatment of hypothermia in an emergency patient.

100: portable hypothermia treatment device
200, 500: pad portion 210, 520: first cooling module
211: Adhesive part 212:
213: thermoelectric element 214:
215: heat dissipating unit 300: control system
310: Temperature control unit 320: Power supply unit
330: Monitoring section 311: First connection section
331: second connection part 510: cover part

Claims (9)

A pad portion including a plurality of cooling modules each of which includes a thermoelectric element to cool a part of the body;
A body temperature sensor for measuring body temperature in contact with the body; And
And a control system for controlling a current supplied to the thermoelectric elements based on the temperature measured by the temperature sensor to maintain a low temperature state. 2. The portable hypothermic apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cooling modules are spaced apart and arranged at regular intervals, and the cooling modules are connected to the control system through a first connection. The portable hypothermic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the cooling modules are arranged in a circular or rectangular shape as a whole. The portable hypothermic instrument according to claim 3, further comprising a cover portion covering an outer surface of the pad portion so that the cooling modules are fixed inside. The control system according to claim 2,
A temperature controller connected to the first connection unit to control a current supplied to the thermoelectric elements;
A monitoring unit for monitoring a temperature measured by the temperature sensor; And
And a power supply unit for supplying power to the temperature control unit. 2. The cooling system of claim 1,
An adhesive portion that directly contacts the skin of the body; And
And a heat dissipating unit disposed at an upper portion of the adhering unit for dissipating heat to the outside,
Wherein the thermoelectric element is disposed between the bonding portion and the heat dissipating portion. 7. The cooling system of claim 6,
A heat transfer unit disposed between the thermoelectric element and the bonding portion and having a high thermal conductivity; And
Further comprising a heat insulating portion disposed between the heat transfer portion and the heat dissipating portion to cover the periphery of the thermoelectric element. 8. The portable hypothermic apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the thermoelectric element absorbs heat toward the heat transfer part and generates heat in the direction of the heat radiation part. The portable hypothermic instrument according to claim 6, wherein the adhesive portion is a hydrogel having excellent thermal conductivity and excellent adhesion to the skin.

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