A system for minimizing chemotherapy-induced neuropathy in extremities employs coolant maintained within a container in communication with a plurality of extremity coverings having serpentine conduits therein and which receive the coolant from the container at one end of the serpentine conduit and return it to the container from the other end. A pump is interposed in conduits between the coolant container and the extremity coverings to cause the flow of coolant. A control system regulates both the duration of operation of the pump and the coolant flow rate to effectively establish the temperature at the extremity coverings by allowing the coolant a dwell time within the extremity coverings.

Disclosed herein is a method to enable a user to use a hypothermia system to cool a body part involved in cancer therapy or in brain trauma. The method enables the user to operate the hypothermia system by her- or himself and still be mobile. The hypothermia system comprises a conformal cap system, a thermally conductive liquid located between the body part to be cooled and the cap system, thermal transfer fluids, phase change materials, thermally insulated cooler, physical measuring devices, mechanical and electrical components, a ‘smart’ user interface device, a battery, and an uninterruptible power controller. The method allows a user to control the rate of and temperature of cooling down the body part, exhibits parameters associated with the process of cooling the body part, provides alerts if necessary, is portable and entirely self-managed. The hypothermia device is in communication with and can be controlled by an application installed on a smart device, such as a phone. The method of using the hypothermia system can help to eliminate hair loss caused by the side effects of certain chemotherapy treatments or to reduce the metabolic rate of ischemic tissue to prevent or minimize the severity of swelling.

A therapeutic cooling and/or compression system, configured to cool a body portion, comprises a conformal covering for covering the body portion configured to extract heat energy from the body portion, a sensor device within the conformal covering for sensing a parameter of the body portion, an actuator configured for changing an amount of heat energy extracted from the body portion, and a control unit configured for regulating the actuator responsive to control input from the sensor device. The system may be portable, enabling a patient to walk while undergoing treatment.

The invention is directed to a mouth piece for cooling of oral tissue of a patient during chemotherapy treatment. The mouth piece includes a cooling medium contained within the top element and the bottom element and able to retain a cooling environment within the mouth sufficient to reduce capillary blood flow to the patient's mouth. In one embodiment, an external chamber extends from the front of the mouth piece to house a cooling medium. The external chamber can be configured so that it is removably attached to the mouth piece. A support device can be utilized to support the external chamber during use.

An intravascular catheter site pad is provided for thermal exchange (e.g. cooling) adjacent to a catheter introduction site (e.g. a catheter for the administration of a chemotherapeutic agent). The pad includes an opening defined by an opening edge that may be positioned about the catheter introduction site. The pad may further include a fluid containing layer and an inlet port and an outlet port for circulating fluid (e.g. cooled fluid) through the pad. The pad may be fluidly interconnected to a fluid conditioning unit to circulate fluid through the pad under negative pressure. The pad, system and an associated method may be employed to reduce tissue damage at an IV catheter introduction site.

A lightweight highly portable scalp or body part cooling system to mitigate the effects of chemotherapy induced alopecia or other medical condition. The device consists of a scalp heat exchanger cap or body part heat exchanger, heat exchange fluid, a DC voltage refrigeration fluid chiller, measurement sensors, battery, voltage converter and a microprocessor packaged in a hard case with wheels and handle for patient portability.

A mouthpiece having particular suitability for cooling oral tissue of a patient undergoing chemotherapy or other medical treatments in which reducing oral cavity temperature is beneficial. The mouthpiece includes a cooling medium contained within the top element and the bottom element and able to retain a cooling environment within the mouth, preferably sufficient to reduce capillary blood flow to the patient's mouth. In one embodiment, an external chamber extends from the front of the mouthpiece to house a cooling medium. A bladder is positioned inside the external chamber for storing a solution having a freezing temperature above the freezing point temperature of the cooling medium to assist in cooling the cooling medium. At least one breathing tube extends through the external chamber to permit a patient to breathe through the mouth when the mouthpiece is emplaced within the mouth in the operative close-fitting relationship.

Low-level light therapy (LLLT) can be applied to a subject suffering from gut dysbiosis in order to restore the subject's gut microbiota to a state of heath. A subject can be placed proximal to a light source device. The light source device can be configured to apply LLL with wavelengths from the red to infrared part of the spectrum. The LLL can be applied at a power density and for a time sufficient to restore the subjects gut microbiota to a state of health.

The invention is directed to a mouth piece for cooling of oral tissue of a patient during chemotherapy treatment. The mouth piece includes a cooling medium contained within the top element and the bottom element and able to retain a cooling environment within the mouth sufficient to reduce capillary blood flow to the patient's mouth.

The invention relates to a device for use in the thermal therapy treatment of a selected region of the body of a human or of an animal, in particular for use in the treatment of tissue damage after surgical interventions, of injuries, of inflammations and of chronic diseases of the rheumatic type, and in particular for assisting chemotherapeutic treatments, comprising a temperature control device which is provided in order to control a temperature of a temperature control fluid, and a heat transfer device which is arranged to transfer heat to the selected region of the body, wherein the temperature control device is connected, in a fluid conducting manner, to the heat transfer device, and is further arranged to temper the heat transfer device with a heat transferring temperature control fluid flowing through the heat transfer device, and with a control device which is connected to the temperature control device and to the heat transfer device, wherein the control device is arranged to control the temperature control device, in order to cause the heat transfer device to be at least partially at an approximately uniform temperature in the region of a contact surface between the heat transfer device and the selected region of the body to be temperature controlled. The invention further relates to a method of operating the device.