An electric heating pad with electrosurgical grounding comprising a heated underbody support, heated mattress or heated mattress overlay. In an illustrative embodiment the heating pad with electrosurgical grounding may include a flexible sheet-like heating element including an upper edge, a lower edge, and at least two side edges and a flexible sheet-like grounding electrode including an upper edge, a lower edge, and at least two side edges. A shell covering the heating element and grounding electrode and comprising at least two sheets (e.g., may be one sheet of material folded over to form two sheets) of flexible material, and a weld coupling the two sheets of flexible material together about the edges of the heating element and grounding electrode, wherein the weld is one of a RF weld, ultrasonic weld, or a heat bond, wherein the two sheets comprise PVC or urethane.

An improved medical pad for contact thermal exchange with a patient includes a fluid circulation layer for containing a thermal exchange fluid circulatable therethrough, a first port and a second port for circulating the thermal exchange fluid in to and out of the fluid circulation layer, and a hydrogel layer interconnected to and extending across one side of the fluid circulation layer to define an adhesive surface for adherence to a patient's skin. The hydrogel layer comprises an ultra violet light-cured composition that includes a cross-linking copolymer in an amount of between about 15% to 30% by weight of the composition, water in an amount of between about 15% to 40% by weight of the composition, and glycerol in an amount of between about 25% to 35% by weight of the composition. The hydrogel layer is provided to have a thermal conductivity of at least about 1.9 cal/hr-cm-° C.

A system applies compression, vibration and heat to a body part of a person. The system includes a portable vibration and heat generation apparatus having a flexible support platform and a bag-like enclosure extending from the support platform. A cylindrical control unit is mounted to the support platform and extends perpendicularly from the support platform. The control unit has a diameter of between 50 millimeters and 100 millimeters. The control unit houses electronic circuitry and at least one battery. Four vibration pods extend from the support platform into the bag-like structure. The bag-like structure also houses a heat generation unit. The control unit extends through a circular bore in a compression wrap. The compression wrap is securable to a body part with a distal wall of the bag-like enclosure against the body part. The system selectively applies vibration, heat or a combination of vibration and heat to the body part.

An artificial hypothalamus system for regulating body temperature for a human can include monitoring data from a plurality of sensors. The sensor data can be used in a control system to optimize temperature regulation in real time through a feedback loop. The feedback loop can include monitoring the sensor data, evaluating a predetermined set of fuzzy rules using the data, and combining the output of the fuzzy rules to produce a precise value. The precise value can correspond to an output level for various temperature regulation devices, and a signal can be transmitted based on the precise value to activate the temperature regulation devices to a corresponding level of output.

In one instance, a recovery system to assist an athlete with recovery is presented that includes a battery-operated, flexible wrap that applies heat and optionally pneumatic pressure while utilizing both conductive and radiant heat in varying proportions according to a desired pattern. Optionally, at least one pneumatic bladder on the flexible wrap applies the pneumatic pressure to the user. The recovery system has a control unit that ramps the temperature applied before leveling at a target temperature. Other systems and devices are presented.

A therapeutic burp cloth having at least one panel and at least one pocket. The therapeutic burp cloth is adapted to be worn by a caregiver while holding an infant. The pockets are adapted to receive heat pads, cold pads and therapeutic inserts for comforting the infant and the caregiver during use.

A method and system in accordance with a particular embodiments of the technology includes applying a substance onto skin of a human subject. A subject's skin can be altered to facilitate absorption of applied substances. A substance can be applied to altered skin so that the substance is absorbed into the skin. The treatment site can be cooled to initiate a freeze event in the skin to freeze tissue. The substance can be a coupling media that promotes or inhibits freezing of tissue.

A method and system in accordance with a particular embodiments of the technology includes applying a substance onto skin of a human subject. An applicator is then applied to the subject to cool a region of the subject. After cooling the tissue, a nucleation initiator is used to initiate a freeze event in the tissue. The nucleation initiator can be an ice crystal that inoculates the skin upon contact to create a predictable freeze event therein. The time of contact between the ice crystal and the skin can be controlled to achieve desired effects.

A method and system in accordance with a particular embodiments of the technology includes applying a substance onto skin of a human subject. The applied substance can include a freezing point depressant and a liposome, an oil-in-water emulsion, a water-in-oil emulsion, or an oil-in-oil emulsion and can be configured to protect or target tissue. The substance and a surface of the skin can be cooled using the applicator to treat acne and other skin conditions.

Systems, methods and devices for utilizing heat transfer parameters or energy expenditure of devices providing controlled hypothermia, normothermia or hyperthermia to detect changes, or the absence of changes, a patient's endogenous set-point temperature; which is not available during exogenously induced targeted temperature management. A particular embodiment would allow detection of fever in patients undergoing targeted temperature managed.