Wound care method and system with one or both of vacuum-light therapy and thermally augmented oxygenation

• US 20080071330A1
• Filed: 10/17/2007
• Published: 03/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Thermotek Incorporated
• Original Assignee: The Thermotek Incorporated
• Inventors: Balachandran, Niran, Quisenberry, Tony
• Granted Patent: US 8,128,672 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/88
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0054 with a closed fluid circuit, e.g. hot water
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0295 for heating or cooling or use at more than one temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0296 Intervals of heating alternated with intervals of cooling
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 7/02 Compresses or poultices for effecting heating or cooling
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2033/143 with oxygen
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/0103 inflatable
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/0242 by a fluid circulating in the apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/10 with further special therapeutic means, e.g. electrotherapy, magneto therapy or radiation therapy, chromo therapy, infrared or ultraviolet therapy
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/50 Control means thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/5043 Displays
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 33/14 Devices for gas baths with ozone, hydrogen, or the like production of ozone or hydrogen C01B, C25B1/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 9/0078 with intermittent or alternately inflated bladders or cuffs mattresses for preventing bed-sores with alternated pressurized chambers A61G7/05776
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 35/00 Devices for applying media, e.g. remedies, on the human body devices for handling toiletry or cosmetic substances A45D; absorbent pads, e.g. swabs, A61F13/15
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 35/30 Gas therapy for therapeutic treatment of the skin
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 37/00 Other apparatus for introducing media into the body for reproduction or fertilisation A61B17/425; apparatus for iontophoresis or cataphoresis A61N1/30; Percutany, i.e. introducing medicines into the body by diffusion through the skin salt baths A61H33/04
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/0645 Applicators worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/0649 using suction to fix the applicator to the tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/0652 Arrays of diodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 2005/0661 ultraviolet
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/00 Radiation therapy ultrasound therapy A61N7/00; devices or apparatus applicable to both therapy and diagnosis A61B6/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/0616 : Skin treatment other than tanning
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 5/0624 : for eliminating microbes, germs, bacteria on or in the body

Abstract

A system for treatment of a wound area of a patient including a first treatment pad comprising a plurality of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) for cleaning and exposing a wound area to ultraviolet light, a second treatment pad comprising removal ports for exposing the wound area to a negative pressure, and a control unit interoperably connected to the first and second treatment pads for providing a negative pressure and the ultraviolet light to the wound area.

Claims

1. A system for treatment of a wound area of a patient comprising:

a first treatment pad comprising a plurality of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) for cleaning and exposing a wound area to ultraviolet light;

a second treatment pad comprising removal ports for exposing the wound area to a negative pressure; and

a control unit interoperably connected to the first and second treatment pads for providing a negative pressure and the ultraviolet light to the wound area.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of LEDs are located on an underside of the first treatment pad.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said control unit is adapted to control the intensity of said ultraviolet light emitted from the plurality of LEDs.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said control unit is adapted to control the duration of said ultraviolet light emitted from the plurality of LEDs.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said ultraviolet light emitted from the plurality of LEDs is adapted to penetrate through several layers of skin to destroy infectious bacteria from said wound area.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said ultraviolet light emitted from the plurality of LEDs improves wound healing along with cell and bone growth.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said second therapy pad is adapted to oxygenate said wound area with oxygen rich air and expose said wound area to thermal differentials.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said control unit regulates the oxygenation and the thermal exposure of said wound area.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said first treatment pad provides said ultraviolet light to the wound area prior to second therapy pad providing oxygenation and thermal exposure.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said second therapy pad provides heating therapy to a patient during oxygenation.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein said second therapy pad provides cooling therapy to a patient after a select period of time in which oxygenation has occurred at said wound area.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein said second therapy pad provides contrast therapy to a patient in conjunction with oxygenation, wherein said wound area is heated before oxygenation and cooled thereafter.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein said second therapy pad further comprises:

an inlet port for receiving heat transfer fluid from the control unit;

an outlet port for returning the heat transfer fluid to the control unit; and

means for providing oxygenation at select pressures and time at said wound area.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein said second therapy pad further comprises:

an air bladder for providing compression therapy, said air bladder having an upper layer and a lower layer; and

an air inlet for providing air from said control unit to said air bladder.

15. The system of claim 1, further comprising an adhesive border around said second treatment pad for securing said second treatment pad against said wound area.

16. A method of treating a wound area of a patient, comprising:

cleaning, via a first treatment pad, the wound area;

exposing the wound area to ultraviolent light from a plurality of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), the plurality of LEDs located on an underside of the first treatment pad;

oxygenating, via a second treatment pad, the wound area; and

controlling, via a control unit, an intensity of the ultraviolent light emitted from the plurality of LEDs and a rate of oxygenating the wound area.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

controlling, via the control unit, a duration of the ultraviolet light emitted from the plurality of LEDs.

18. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

providing, via the second treatment pad, heating therapy during the step of oxygenating the wound area.

19. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

providing, via the second treatment pad, contrast therapy to the patient in conjunction with the step of oxygenating the wound area, wherein the wound area is heated before the step of oxygenating the wound area and cooled thereafter.

20. A system for treatment of a wound area of a patient comprising:

an oxygen supply;

a thermal fluid supply;

a first treatment pad comprising a plurality of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) for cleaning and exposing the wound area to ultraviolet light;

a second treatment pad comprising a first plurality of connections for dispersing thermal fluid from the thermal fluid supply throughout the second treatment pad for thermal therapy of the wound area and a second plurality of connections for providing air from the oxygen supply to an oxygen chamber for oxygenation therapy of the wound area; and

a control unit interoperably connected to the first and second treatment pads for providing the oxygenation therapy and the ultraviolet light to the wound area.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein said second therapy pad further comprises:

an air bladder for providing compression therapy, said air bladder having an upper layer and a lower layer; and

an air inlet for providing air from the control unit to the air bladder.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the plurality of LEDs are located on an underside of the first treatment pad.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the control unit is adapted to control the intensity of the ultraviolet light emitted from the plurality of LEDs.

24. A treatment pad for treating a wound area of a patient, the pad comprising:

a plurality of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) located on an underside of the pad for exposing the wound area to ultraviolet light;

a plurality of removal ports for removing undesirable fluid from the wound area; and

wherein the ultraviolet light emitted from the plurality of LEDs is adapted to penetrate through several layers of skin to destroy infectious bacteria from the wound area.

25. The treatment pad of claim 24, wherein said pad is interoperably connected to a control unit, the control unit is adapted to control the intensity and duration of the ultraviolet light emitted from the plurality of LEDs.