WO2010074578A1

WO2010074578A1 - Device for cooling a part of the body, in particular the oral cavity

Info

Publication number: WO2010074578A1
Application number: PCT/NL2009/050804
Authority: WO
Inventors: Mart Frans Pieter Sips
Original assignee: Mahayana Holding B.V.
Priority date: 2008-12-24
Filing date: 2009-12-24
Publication date: 2010-07-01
Also published as: NL2002376C2

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for cooling and/or healing a part of the human or animal body, comprising a container for containing a cooling element, which container is adapted for placing on or in the body, wherein the device is provided with a medicine which is suitable for administering to the part of the body for cooling and/or healing. The invention is particularly suitable for treatment of the oral cavity, including the tongue, the throat, the jaw, the gums and the cheeks.

Description

Device for cooling a part of the body, in particular the oral cavity

The present invention relates to a device for cooling a part of the human or animal body comprising a container for containing a cooling element, which container is adapted for placing on or in the body.

Such a device is for instance known in the form of water-based ice lollipops for children which are available in retail shops in non-frozen form. These ice lollipops are provided with water in which ingredients such as sugar, colouring and flavouring are dissolved. These ice lollipops are placed in the freezer at home and are generally consumed by children after being frozen. In the case of mouth or throat disorders the pain is usually reduced and swelling decreases with cooling. After an operation in the throat, such as after the removal of tonsils or adenoids or after an invasive treatment by a dentist or dental surgeon, it is therefore also recommended - also for adults - to consume such ice lollipops.

A drawback is that the cooling by the ice lollipops is only temporary; when the treated part of for instance the mouth is not cooled, the pain experienced by the patient increases. For some patients this results in an excessive consumption of ice lollipops.

It is an object of the invention to make it possible in simple manner to reduce pain and swelling.

The invention provides for this purpose a device for cooling a part of the human or animal body, comprising a container for containing a cooling element which is adapted for placing on or in the human body, characterized in that the device is provided with a medicine which is suitable for administering to the part of the body for cooling and/or healing. The device makes it possible in simple manner to combine cooling and the administering of a medicine. Another advantage is that the cooling also has an inflammation-inhibiting, healing and/or cooling effect.

This object is achieved in that the device is provided with a medicine which is suitable for administering to the part of the body for cooling. The invention is particularly suitable for treatment of the oral cavity, including the tongue, the throat, the jaw, the gums and the cheeks.

As a result of these measures the administering of a medicine is combined with the administering of cold.

Although it is by no means precluded that substances (in particular liquids) other than water are applied, such as solid plastics with a large heat capacity, the application of water or mixtures consisting substantially of water has many advantages; the melt water resulting from the use of a container which is open or to be opened can be easily discharged in the alimentary canal without medical drawbacks. Water also has a low cost price and can easily be provided with additives. According to a preferred embodiment, the container is adapted to contain water, to allow the water to freeze to ice when placed in an environment with a low temperature, and to allow the ice to melt when the container is placed into contact with the part of the body for cooling.

Although it is possible to place the medicine on the outer side of the container, so that it comes into contact with the skin or the mucous membrane of the body when placed on the body part for treating, it is attractive to take up the medicine in the water so that the medicine is released when the ice melts and is administered in dosed manner to the body. The medicine is preferably distributed homogeneously in the water. The device comprises an effective dosage of the medicine.

Although it is by no means precluded that such a combination of therapies is useful at various locations in and on the body, such as in the case of sports injuries, it is now foreseen that the greatest effect will be achieved when the device is adapted for placing of the cooling body at least partially in the mouth; this is because the density of sensory nerves is high here, so there is a great need to combat pain and swelling. It is not however precluded that, in order to provide more freedom in the dosing of the medicine, the container is adapted to contain and dispense the medicine separately from the water.

According to a further embodiment, the container is adapted to be at least partially removed before the cooling body is placed in the mouth. The ice is hereby released so that it can exert its beneficial effect as it melts. It is not however precluded that the medicine is taken up in the container, which can for instance take a porous form and wherein the moisture in the mouth or on the skin dissolves and brings the medicine into contact with the mucous membrane of the mouth or skin, or that a chamber is placed in the container in which the medicine is taken up and the chamber is provided with a closure which can be opened. This embodiment is particularly applicable in situations where a medicine is used which is not sufficiently stable in a solution of water.

According to a preferred embodiment, the container is adapted to be placed in its entirety in the mouth. This embodiment entails not only the ice being removed from the container before it is placed at the affected position on or in the body, but the assembly of ice and container being placed. This results in a quicker procedure, for instance after treatment by a dentist or dental surgeon, wherein a frozen cooling element is placed in the mouth of the treated patient; the container does not then have to be removed therefrom before it is placed.

When the container is placed in its entirety in the mouth, it is attractive that the container is removed beforehand in its entirety. It is not precluded that the container is provided with a closure which can be opened or that the container is adapted to be at least partially removed before the ice is placed in the mouth. Use can be made for this purpose of the same type of packaging as is used in the above cited prior art ice lollipops.

Particularly for application in the mouth it is attractive for the container to have an elongate form. The container can then be placed easily between cheek and jaw or between jaw and tongue. This form can otherwise also be attractive when applied with other body parts, for instance on the forehead. The production can hereby also be simplified. This is because a container is then created with a form which roughly corresponds to that of a sugar stick, i.e. substantially cylindrical with flattened ends.

In order to enable better control of the administering and cooling location, for instance when a disorder is present at different locations or when the cooling or administering of medicine is excessive, it is recommended that the device is adapted to be placed only partially in the mouth. The cooling part is here preferably then placed in the mouth, while a remaining part functions as a handle to enable the location of the cooling part in the mouth to be determined. The part functioning as handle must for this purpose take a form that is to some extent rigid.

Although other types of material are by no means precluded, it is attractive from a viewpoint of cost price and user-friendliness for the container to be formed by a flexible plastic.

In addition to the above elucidated embodiments in which the container is wholly or largely removed, it can be attractive for the container to be provided on an end surface with a closure which can be opened or for the container to be provided on its casing side with at least one closure which can be opened. When the container is correctly placed, the medicine taken up in the melt water and leaving the container makes direct contact with the jaw so that the medicine is used effectively. It is likewise possible, for instance in order to facilitate freezing, that the closure which can be opened comprises a releasably adhered strip extending over the at least one opening arranged in the side surface of the container and sealing the at least one opening. This strip seals the opening so that the container can be easily filled, transported and stored and subsequently frozen. The strip can be removed shortly before arrangement and the ice arranged on or in the patient. Finally, a better distribution of the medicine is obtained when at least two openings are arranged in the side surface of the container which both lie on a line extending substantially parallel to the central axis of the cylindrical container.

In order to obtain a simple dosing which takes place gradually, it is attractive if the medicine is dissolved in the water and the solution is stabilized. When the ice melts, wherein it relinquishes its cold to the vicinity, such as the cheek, the jaw, the throat, the gums and the tongue, the medicine is hereby released gradually into the melt water. The melt water then comes into direct contact with the cheek or the other body part against which the container is placed. When applied in the mouth, the melt water flows further to the throat and where it is swallowed comes into contact with the throat or other oral body part, where it exerts its beneficial effect. This is likewise the case when the medicine is suspended or emulsified in the water. A suspension is a mixture of water with a solid, an emulsion is a liquid mixture in which multiple phases can be distinguished. Some medicines have a low solubility in water, but by using a suspension or emulsion the desired dosage can still be achieved in a relatively small volume of the water. In the manufacture of a frozen mixture in water it is recommended that the mixture of water and the medicine is homogenized before it is frozen, for instance by being shaken or vibrated in the container. It is also recommended that the water be frozen relatively quickly in order to prevent settling of the emulsion or suspension.

The most important advantage of the invention is obtained when the cooling is combined with an analgesic and/or other medication. According to an advantageous embodiment, the medicine is therefore an analgesic, such as for instance aspirin or paracetamol.

Analgesics which are particularly suitable for external administering are the so-called NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), such as Naproxen and Ibuprofen. The combination of these analgesics in combination with ice is moreover found to provide a greatly improved inflammation inhibition on the cooled body part.

The device preferably comprises a throat-soothing agent. A throat-soothing agent (expectorant) has the advantage that consuming the obtained ice has a positive effect on symptoms such as coughing/tickling in the throat and sore throat. Suitable agents comprise, among others, herbal extracts such as liquorice root extract, used in liquorice, or other extracts which are used for instance in throat-soothing lozenges. Diverse synthetic expectorants are also known.

The invention also provides a frozen aqueous solution comprising a medication, evidently suitable for use as cooling body in a device according to the invention.

In addition, the invention provides a method for manufacturing a device for cooling a part of the human or animal body, comprising of providing a container for containing a cooling element which is adapted for placing on or in the body, filling the container with water in which a medicine is taken up and freezing at least the aqueous solution by placing thereof in an environment with a low temperature.

The present invention will be elucidated hereinbelow with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of a first embodiment of a container according to the invention; Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view along line U-II of the container shown in figure 1 ; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view along line IH-III of the container shown in figure 1 ; Figure 4 is a side view of a second embodiment; Figure 5 is a side view of a third embodiment; and Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of a fourth embodiment.

Figure 1 shows a container, designated as a whole with 1, which has an elongate structure. Container 1 is manufactured from a plastic suitable for packaging food. Container 1 comprises side walls 5 and has a substantially round cross-section in the centre, as shown in figure 3, and has a flat cross-section at its ends, as shown in figure 2. Container 1 is for instance formed by folding a strip of material and filling, sealing and shortening thereof, as per se known for other applications. The container is hereby provided at its ends with a flattened portion 2, 3 where the mutually opposite wall parts are connected to each other. A linear weakening 4 is arranged on one side.

An aqueous solution, suspension or emulsion of an analgesic such as ibuprofen is arranged in container 1. The solution in container 1 preferably comprises a usual dosage of the analgesic, for ibuprofen this can for instance be 200, 400, 600 or 800 mg per container. It is otherwise possible to dissolve other medicines, such as antiseptics or inflammation inhibitors, in the water. Stabilizing agents, flavourings or freezing point- lowering agents can further be included in the solution.

The thus obtained product is placed in the freezer and, once the product is frozen, it can be placed in the mouth of patients after the linear weakening 4 has been torn through and the thus resulting separated part 2 has been removed. For analgesics or other medicines with low water-solubility, such as ibuprofen, an additive is preferably added to the solution, suspension or emulsion, which ensures that the medicine also continues to be distributed evenly during cooling and in the frozen state. Such additives are known for ice lollipops, and are used there particularly for the purpose of keeping poorly soluble flavourings uniformly distributed in the obtained ice. Created by removing this separated part is an opening through which the melt water created as a result of the melting of the ice present in container 1 leaves container 1 and comes into contact with the mucous membrane of the mouth and there exerts its beneficial effect. It is noted here that it is also possible, after the removal of separated part 2, to press the ice present in container 1 out of the container and place it in the mouth. It is also possible to remove only a part of the container, for instance by means of tearing through a weakening line extending roughly in the centre of the container and removing one of the thus formed parts of container 1 and placing the other part in the mouth together with the ice.

Figure 4 shows a container 11 which has a form corresponding to that of container 1 shown in figure 1 and which is provided with a side wall 15 in which three openings 16 are arranged. These openings 16 are closed by a strip 17 which is connected releasably to side wall 15, for instance by an adhesive layer adhering to strip 17. The thus manufactured container 11 filled with medicine solution or suspension is placed in the freezer and removed from the freezer after freezing, wherein strip 17 is removed and openings 16 are left clear. The thus opened container 11 is then placed in the mouth, after which cooling and dosing of a medicine take place simultaneously, as in the previous embodiment.

Figure 5 shows a container 21 which, in contrast to the foregoing embodiments, is provided with two chambers. For this purpose container 21 is provided between the two ends with a flattened portion 28 where side walls 25 of the container are connected to each other. Side walls 15 are of course mutually connected at the ends by flattened portions 22, 23, as is the case in the above embodiments. Two chambers 29, 30 are thus formed, the larger of which is filled with water and the smaller 30 is filled with a medicine. Arranged in the wall of the smaller chamber is an opening 31 which is covered by a strip 32 which is connected releasably to side wall 25 by means of an adhesive layer. After freezing this strip is removed, after which the medicine present in the relevant chamber can exit through opening 31. The relevant medicine can optionally be frozen here. Freezing can be prevented by making use of a freezing point-lowering agent such as alcohol.

Finally, figure 6 shows a cross-sectional view of an embodiment substantially corresponding to that in figure 5, which however differs therefrom in that the two chambers are not placed successively in the elongate container, but adjacently of each other. Use must be made for this purpose of a container with a different configuration. An embodiment of such a configuration is shown in figure 6, wherein use is made of a single strip of material 40 which is folded in two places 41, 42 and which is adhered to itself in two places 43, 44, so that two chambers 45, 46 are formed.

All embodiments must take into account the physical phenomenon that water expands when frozen, so that the container may not be completely filled with water in order to leave space for this expansion during freezing.

The above stated embodiments can be used by dentists, dental surgeons and ENT specialists and their nursing staff by removing a container according to the invention from the freezer after a procedure, opening it and providing it to the patient or placing it in the mouth in the frozen form, after which the container can exert its beneficial effect. It is however also possible, for instance for use over a longer period of time, for the containers to be available in non-frozen form from for instance a chemist and to be placed in the freezer by the patient at home, so that they can be removed and applied as desired.

It will be apparent that, within the scope of the invention as defined in the claims, it is possible to deviate from the above elucidated embodiments in numerous ways.

Claims

1. Device for cooling a part of the human or animal body, comprising a container for containing a cooling element, which container is adapted for placing on or in the body, characterized in that the device is provided with a medicine which is suitable for administering to the part of the body for cooling and/or healing.

2. Device as claimed in claim 1 , characterized in that the container is adapted to contain water, to allow the water to freeze to ice when placed in an environment with a low temperature, and to allow the ice to melt when the container is placed into contact with the part of the body for cooling and/or healing.

3. Device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the medicine is taken up in the water.

4. Device as claimed in claim 1 , 2 or 3, characterized in that the device is adapted for placing of the cooling body at least partially in the mouth.

5. Device as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that the container is adapted to be at least partially removed before the cooling body is placed in the mouth.

6. Device as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that the device is adapted for placing of the cooling body in its entirety in the mouth.

7. Device as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that the container is adapted to be removed in its entirety before the cooling element is placed in the mouth.

8. Device as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that the container has an elongate form.

9. Device as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that the device is adapted to be placed only partially in the mouth.

10. Device as claimed in any of the foregoing claims, characterized in that the container is formed by a flexible plastic.

11. Device as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the medicine is suspended or emulsified in the water.

12. Device as claimed in any of the foregoing claims, characterized in that the medicine is an analgesic.

13. Device as claimed in claim 12, characterized in that the analgesic is an NSAID such as Ibuprofen or Naproxen.

14. Device as claimed in claim 12, characterized in that the device also comprises at least one throat-soothing agent.

15. Frozen aqueous solution comprising a medication, evidently suitable for use as cooling body of a device as claimed in any of the foregoing claims.

16. Method for manufacturing a device for cooling a part of the human or animal body, comprising of providing a container for containing a cooling element which is adapted for placing on or in the body, filling the container with water in which a medicine is taken up and freezing at least the aqueous solution by placing thereof in an environment with a low temperature.