This invention relates to headwear for removing heat from a person's scalp in order to prevent hair loss.
Headwear is known for removing heat from a person's scalp in order to prevent hair loss. One known type of headwear is such that it is used on its own, having first been cooled to a required cold temperature, and then placed on the person's head. This type of known headwear is disclosed in our Patent PCT/GB95/02042.
The headwear may alternatively be such that a cold fluid, for example cold water, is circulated through the headwear. This type of known headwear needs to be associated with a source of the cold fluid, and also with a pump for pumping the cold fluid through the headwear. This type of headwear is often not satisfactory in that the headwear does not fit sufficiently tightly to the person's head in use, with the result that the headwear does not cool the person's scalp as efficiently as it should do.
it is an aim of the present invention to reduce the above mentioned problem with headwear of the type which requires the circulation of a cold fluid in use.
Accordingly, in one non-limiting embodiment of the present invention there is provided headwear for removing heat from a person's scalp in order to prevent hair loss, which headwear comprises a body portion for fitting over the person's scalp, an inlet for a cold fluid, an outlet for the cold fluid, and fastener means for fastening the headwear on the person's head, the headwear being such that it opens to a flat condition when it is not in use on the person's head, and the body portion comprises a plurality of internal walls which define pouch portions, the pouch portions being connected to one another to define a passageway through the body portion from the inlet to the outlet whereby the cold fluid is able to circulate through the body portion, and the pouch portions being such that they are expanded by the cold fluid and caused in use to press against the person's scalp with a pressure which causes the body portion to be pressed into good contact with the person's scalp and thereby to facilitate maximum cold transfer from the body portion to the person's scalp.
The headwear is able to be used with a pressure which causes the body portion to be pressed into good contact with the person's scalp, whilst at the same time not being so great as to cause discomfort to the person. The pouch portions are able to be chosen to be of sizes which are not so small that they do not expand sufficiently in order to obtain the good contact with the person's scalp. Also, the pouch portions are able to be chosen of sizes such that they are not so large that they contain too much water, and thereby cause the headwear to become too heavy and uncomfortable for the person to wear.
Generally, the pouches are of a size and shape that enables them to inflate such that they apply a substantially even pressure on the person's scalp during use. For example if pouches to the sides of the headwear are too large, they become too heavy and deform the shape of the headwear. This excess weight of fluid causes the pouches on top of the headwear to flatten, restricting the flow of the cold fluid. Preferably, the pouches are chosen to be of a size such that the total cold fluid content in the headwear is approximately 1.6 Kg.
The headwear of the present invention operates to remove heat from the person's scalp. The removal of heat lowers the metabolic rate of the hair follicles in the scalp. The headwear reduces blood flow through the person's scalp by removing the heat which causes capillaries in the person's scalp to shrink in diameter and therefore provide less blood, and also by simultaneously exerting pressure on the capillaries which again reduces their diameter and thereby the amount of blood passing through. them. The cold fluid is preferably water but it may be brine, a refrigerant or any other suitable and appropriate fluid.
The headwear may be one in which the headwear is formed of sheets of material, and in which the internal walls are formed by welding the sheets of material together. The welding may be ultrasonic welding, heat welding or any other suitable and appropriate desired form of welding.
The headwear may be one in which there are two of the sheets, the first sheet comprising a layer of a plastics material having a layer of a grippable material on an outer surface of the layer of the plastics material, the second sheet comprising a layer of plastics material which is thicker than the plastics material in the first sheet, and the two layers of the plastics material being in contact with each other.
The two layers of the plastics material will usually be two layers of the same plastics material, but they may be different if desired. A presently preferred plastics material is a urethane plastics material.
The grippable material is preferably a velouch material. The velouch material is like a nylon felt material.
The fastener means may comprise flaps which fold over the headwear and releasably fasten to parts of the headwear. The flaps may releasably fasten to the grippable material. The flaps may comprises matrices of hook or loop material which grip to the grippable material. The flaps preferably comprise Velcro (Registered Trade Mark) material.
The headwear may be one in which the inlet is an inlet pipe which extends beyond the periphery of the headwear, and in which the outlet is an outlet pipe which extends beyond the periphery of the headwear.
The present invention also provides apparatus for removing heat from a person's scalp in order to prevent hair loss, which apparatus comprises the headwear of the invention, and a feed pump for pumping the cold fluid to the headwear.
The apparatus may also include control means for controlling the feed pump.
The apparatus may include a drain pump for removing the cold fluid from the headwear. The control means may control the drain pump.
Preferably, the control means maintains in use a substantially constant pressure in the headwear. The provision of a substantially constant pressure in the headwear can be difficult because the pressure varies if the person wearing the headwear moves. This is especially so if the person should stand and then sit down. The pressure would increase substantially and can cause discomfort to the person and/or rupture of the headwear. Thus the provision of control means which in use maintains a substantially constant pressure in the headwear is advantageous both for the patient in maintaining patient comfort, and also for the headwear in avoiding it rupturing and thus not being reusable with other persons.
The control means preferably includes a pressure sensor at the headwear to feed pressure information to a control board, and a flow restrictor.
The control means may operate to maintain a chosen substantially constant pressure within the range of 5-20 millibars. Preferably the substantially constant pressure is chosen to be one within the range of 9-17 millibars. A presently preferred constant pressure is 14 millibars.
The apparatus may include a device for removing heat from the fluid being passed through the headwear. This may be an insulated container containing ice, a peltier cooler, or a compressor-style refrigeration unit.
The apparatus of the invention may operate such that pressure in the headwear is maintained by a pump which pumps cold fluid, for example water, to the headwear faster than it can flow through the flow restrictor. This causes the headwear to fill with the cold fluid which will start to pressurise the headwear. The pressure sensor sends pressure information back to the control board so as to slow the pump down as the pressure increases. A point of equilibrium will then be established. The control means may be set so that this equilibrium point is preferably at 10 millibar.
The flow restrictor may be an adjustable flow restrictor or a fixed flow restrictor. It is preferably set/chosen to provide flow of 1 litre of fluid a minute when the headwear is at operational pressure.
A pressure release valve is preferably fitted so as to protect the headwear from overpressure damage. This could happen if the fluid flowing through the headwear was to be restricted.
Preferably, the apparatus is mobile apparatus for being movable by the person. This ensures that the person does not have to be static during treatment, which may last for substantial periods of time, for example over one hour.
The mobile apparatus may have wheels for enabling the mobile apparatus to be wheeled to a desired position.
Advantageously, the apparatus is battery powered. In the case of the mobile apparatus, then the person is easily able to move the apparatus to a desired position and is not constrained by the length of an electrical lead as would be the case if the apparatus were to be mains powered and plugged into an electrical socket. If desired however, the apparatus of the present invention may additionally or alternatively be mains powered.
Embodiments of the invention will now be described solely by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
Referring to
The headwear 2 is such that it opens to a flat condition when it is not in use on the person's head. The flat condition is shown in
As shown in
The pouch portions 16 are such that they are expanded by the cold fluid. This expansion causes the pouch portions 16 to press against the person's scalp with a pressure which causes the body portion 4 to be pressed into good contact with the person's scalp. This thereby facilitates maximum cold transfer from the body portion 4 to the person's scalp.
The internal walls 14 are formed by welding two sheets of polyurethane plastics material together. The welding may be ultrasonic welding, heat welding, infrared welding, or any other suitable and appropriate type of welding. The first sheet of plastics material has a layer of veloush material on its outer surface. The second sheet of plastics material is thicker than the first sheet of plastics material and it is positioned on the inside of the layer of plastics material of the first sheet, i.e. opposite the veloush material. The plastics material may be a urethane plastics material.
As shown in
As shown in
The apparatus 20 shown in
The cold fluid 38 is held in an insulated container 42. In
The apparatus 20 is electrically powered by batteries (not shown). Electrical connections are shown by connections 58, 60, 62, 64, 66. A pressure sensor 68 at the headwear 2 feeds pressure signals along connection 66 to the control board 30. The connection 58 between the pump 22 and the control board 30 provides a connection giving pulse width modulated speed control to maintain the chosen pressure of 10 millibars in the headwear 2.
As shown in
The apparatus 20 provides a cooling flow of cold fluid through the headwear 2. Even if the person 70 stands up or otherwise moves, the control means 24 is able to ensure that the pressure in the headwear 2 stays substantially constant. Discomfort to the person 70 caused by overpressure is avoided. Rupturing of one or more of the pouch portions 16 in the headwear 2 is also avoided if the person stands up or otherwise moves. The headwear 2 is able to prevent or reduce hair loss during chemotherapy, and thereby to provide an important psychological boost to the person 70 at a time when they need it and are being treated by the chemotherapy for cancer.
Referring now to
The apparatus 20 shown in
The apparatus 20 shown in
The microprocessor used with the apparatus shown in
It is to be appreciated that the embodiment of the invention described above with reference to the accompanying drawings has been given by way of example only and that modifications may be effected. Thus, for example, the shape of the headwear 2 may be different from that shown in
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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111717.3 | Jul 2011 | GB | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/GB2012/000548 | 6/26/2012 | WO | 00 | 1/7/2014 |