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Publication Number
US-11883321-B2
Publication Date
2024-01-30
Expiration Date
Abstract
A heating device is provided comprising: a wearable layer conformable to a part of a user's body; a heat source attached to the wearable layer for applying heat to a region of a user's body; a blood flow sensor attached to the wearable layer configured to detect a parameter indicative of blood flow in or adjacent to the region of the user's body and generate a signal indicative thereof; and one or both of: (i) a processor in electrical communication with the blood flow sensor for determining the blood flow in or adjacent to the region of the user's body based upon the signal; or (ii) a transmitter for transmitting the signal to a remote device.
Core Innovation
The invention provides a heating device for wound healing that includes a wearable layer conformable to a part of a user's body, a heat source attached to the wearable layer for applying heat to a region of the user's body, and one or more blood flow sensors attached to the wearable layer. The blood flow sensors detect a parameter indicative of blood flow in or adjacent to the region and generate a signal indicative of the blood flow. The heating device may include a processor to determine the blood flow based upon the signal and/or a transmitter to transmit the signal to a remote device.
In certain embodiments, the heating device is a bra cup or an insert for inserting into a bra cup, with the heating device and one or more blood flow sensors arranged to generally surround a user's areola in use. The sensor arrangement supports detection of blood flow-related information during wound healing, and the system can compare the blood flow to a threshold value to generate a notification when the blood flow is less than the threshold value.
The disclosed wearable heating configuration supports blood-flow-informed wound healing monitoring by integrating blood-flow sensing with controlled heating. Embodiments also describe additional functionality that can include an additional temperature sensor and heating control with preset temperature ranges and optionally pulsatile or cyclical heating patterns.
Claims Coverage
The document includes three independent claims. Collectively, they cover a bra-cup or insert wearable heating device with blood-flow sensing and optional local processing or remote transmission, a system using that device with blood-flow comparison to a threshold and notification, and a method of heating a body region using the same device while using the blood-flow sensors to detect blood flow.
Bra cup or areola-surrounding wearable wound-healing heating device
A heating device for wound healing comprising a wearable layer conformable to a part of a user's body; a heat source attached to the wearable layer for applying heat to a region of a user's body; one or more blood flow sensors attached to the wearable layer configured to detect a parameter indicative of blood flow in or adjacent to the region and generate a signal indicative thereof; and one or both of a processor for determining blood flow based upon the signal or a transmitter for transmitting the signal to a remote device, wherein the heating device is a bra cup, or an insert for inserting into a bra cup, and the heating device and one or more blood flow sensors are arranged to generally surround, in use, a user's areola.
Threshold comparison and notification in a blood-flow-sensing wound-healing system
A system comprising a heating device for wound healing having a wearable layer conformable to a part of a user's body, a heat source attached to the wearable layer, and one or more blood flow sensors configured to detect a parameter indicative of blood flow in or adjacent to the region and generate a signal indicative thereof, with one or both of a processor in electrical communication with the sensors for determining the blood flow or a transmitter for transmitting the signal to a remote device, wherein the heating device is a bra cup, or an insert for inserting into a bra cup, and the heating device and the one or more blood flow sensors are arranged to generally surround, in use, a user's areola; and wherein either the processor or a separate processor in communication with the sensors is configured to compare the blood flow to a threshold value and generate a notification if the blood flow is less than the threshold value.
Heating a body region using a wearable blood-flow-sensing heating device
A method of heating a region of a user's body comprising providing a heating device including a wearable layer conformable to a part of a user's body, a heat source attached to the wearable layer for applying heat to the region, one or more blood flow sensors configured to detect a parameter indicative of blood flow in or adjacent to the region and generate a signal indicative thereof, and one or both of a processor for determining blood flow based upon the signal or a transmitter for transmitting the signal to a remote device, wherein the heating device is a bra cup, or an insert for inserting into a bra cup, and the heating device and the one or more blood flow sensors are arranged to generally surround, in use, a user's areola; placing the wearable layer on a user's body so that the heating device is in thermal contact with a user's body; activating the heat source to apply heat to a region of the user's body; and using the blood flow sensors to detect blood flow in the region of the user's body.
Across the independent claims, the inventive coverage centers on a wearable, body-conformable wound-healing heating device configured with blood-flow sensors whose signals can be used by a local processor and/or transmitted to a remote device, with a bra-cup or insert arrangement surrounding the areola, and with system-level threshold comparison to generate a notification.
Stated Advantages
Enables determining blood flow in or adjacent to the region of the user's body based upon a detected parameter indicative of blood flow.
Enables transmitting blood-flow-indicative signals to a remote device.
Generates a notification when the blood flow is less than a threshold value.
Documented Applications
Reducing skin necrosis after mastectomy/reconstruction.
Improving outcomes in other wound/cosmetic scenarios.
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