A steam therapy equipment including a vessel for heating a mixture of water and organic materials, a compressor to inject pressurized air into the vessel producing pressurized steam. The pressurized steam is conducted into the equipment via one or more valves. The therapy equipment is formed from at least one panel and may include a supporting frame. The therapy equipment includes a temperature sensor to measure the temperature inside the therapy equipment when pressurized steam is admitted via the valves. A patient enters the equipment and is exposed to the pressurized steam, causing dilation of the skin pores of the patient, whereby toxins are removed from the patient. One or more applicators may conduct pressurized steam to specific portions of the body of the patient. The patient may be provided with a portion of the mixture to consume as part of the steam therapy treatment.

The invention relates to a treatment apparatus comprising an envelope that can be placed on or around a body part of a person such that the envelope has a positioning area (Z) for said body part of the person, the envelope being provided with an inlet (8) for a gaseous medium and an outlet for discharging the gaseous medium present in the envelope. According to the invention, the apparatus comprises a control system (11) for controlling the flow of the gaseous medium in order to direct the gaseous medium entering the envelope via the inlet (8) outside the positioning area (Z), and to homogenise the gaseous medium present in the envelope.

Systems and methods for affecting metabolism, such as the treatment of metabolic syndrome are disclosed. A method for treating metabolic syndrome can include one or more of the steps including identifying a region of the patient comprising glabrous tissue; positioning the region of the patient comprising glabrous tissue into an enclosed chamber; adjusting the relative humidity of the enclosed chamber sufficient to create a physiologic metabolic effect; and activating a convection fan within the chamber to promote heat transfer from the glabrous tissue. The method need not involve altering the temperature within the enclosed chamber.

An infant incubator heat control device includes a temperature-detecting device providing chamber interior and incubator heater temperature measured values. A first mode of operation has an interior temperature set value, a temperature of the heater set value is calculated as a function of the interior temperature set value and of the chamber interior temperature measured value. A controlled variable is calculated for the heater as a function of the temperature of the heater set value and of the heater measured value. A second mode of operation calculates a temperature of the heater set value independently of the chamber interior temperature measured value. A controlled variable is calculated for the heater as a function of the set value for the temperature of the heater and of the heater temperature measured value.

Hyperthermia system for raising the body temperature of the body of an individual to a predetermined target temperature T.sub.b and for stabilizing the body temperature at the target temperature T.sub.b, including: a thermally insulated cabinet for receiving the individual, equipped with channeling means to channel fluids into the body of the individual; at least one thermal device to raise the body temperature of the individual, when placed inside said cabinet, and to subsequently maintain the target temperature T.sub.b of the individual; one or more devices for heating fluids to be channeled into the body of the individual via the channeling means; one or more sensors to monitor the temperature and/or heat flux of the individual; and a controller to control the at least one thermal means and the one or more devices for heating fluids. The sensors are connected to the controller to provide temperature values and/or heat flux values.

A steam therapy equipment including a vessel for heating a mixture of water and organic materials, a compressor to inject pressurized air into the vessel producing pressurized steam. The pressurized steam is conducted into the equipment via one or more valves. The therapy equipment is formed from at least one panel and may include a supporting frame. The therapy equipment includes a temperature sensor to measure the temperature inside the therapy equipment when pressurized steam is admitted via the valves. A patient enters the equipment and is exposed to the pressurized steam, causing dilation of the skin pores of the patient, whereby toxins are removed from the patient. One or more applicators may conduct pressurized steam to specific portions of the body of the patient. The patient may be provided with a portion of the mixture to consume as part of the steam therapy treatment.

A heating system for providing heat to a draped basin containing liquid above the drape. In addition to having at least one temperature sensor that controls a flow of electricity to the heating element, the system has at least one air gap detector in thermal contact with the heating element. Each air gap detector responding to a temperature above a high setpoint temperature for that air gap detector by interrupting the flow of electricity until detecting that the temperature has fallen below a reset setpoint temperature for that air gap detector so that an air gap in proximity to the one of the air gap detectors is prevented from causing a severe temperature excursion in a portion of the draped basin. Thus, the drape is protected from a local temperature excursion.

The invention provides a personal micro-climate system that reduces the energy requirement to keep a person cool by providing a personal air-conditioned space specially for bed-ridden patients. A dome is provided to create a personal space that just cools the area where the patient is at avoiding wasting energy in cooling the room's floor, ceiling, walls and empty space. The cooling system can be energized through solar power, deep cycle battery packs, small power plant or through a combination thereof. The system allows for the movement of an automatic or semi-automatic bed. A transparent cover is stretched over a frame structure to allow for maximum visibility from the inside out and vice versa. The system allows ease of opening an attendant window for patient care or to help a bedridden patient in an emergency. Breathing tubes, feeding tubes, IV lines, sensors and cables can be fed into the dome through openings between a mattress cover and the micro-climate dome. The personal microclimate system serves as a positive or negative personal isolation chamber provided with high-efficiency particulate air filters and ultraviolet germicidal irradiation systems. An anteroom can be added next to the micro-climate dome and/or a secondary larger structure may be added to enclose the micro-climate dome.

A method of controlling an infant care device includes identifying, via a location tracking system, a device location of the infant care device within a care facility by locating a device location tag on the infant care device, and also identifying any local clinician tags worn by a clinician within a predetermined area around the device location. The local clinician tags are compared to a list of authorized clinician tags to identify whether at least one local authorized clinician tag is within the predetermined area around the infant care device. User input is received at a user interface associated with the infant care device to modify operation of the infant care device. Operation of the infant care device is modified based on the user input only if at least one local authorized clinician tag is within the predetermined area around the infant care device at the time of receiving the user input.

A thermal control unit for controlling a patient's temperature includes a fluid outlet for delivering temperature-controlled fluid to a patient, a pump, first and second cooling units, and a controller that selectively enables and disables at least one of the cooling units based on one more factors, such as the temperature of the fluid. Alternatively or additionally, a variable speed fan is included in one or both of the cooling units that blows air over the condenser and the controller selectively controls the fan speed based on factors such as the temperature of the circulating fluid. The thermal control unit may be modified to accept a cartridge having its own cooling unit. When so modified, the controller communicates with a controller inside of the cartridge and coordinates control of the cartridge cooling unit and the cooling unit inside the thermal control unit that is external to the cartridge.