Brain cooling device

Abstract

There is disclosed headwear comprising an endothermic reactor and a trigger to initiate an endothermic reaction in the reactor whilst being worn on a wearer's head. Such may preferentially be utilised in or in conjunction with a motorcycle safety helmet or similar crash protection device. The headwear is intended to prevent or delay the onset of brain damage as a result of serious trauma or head injury.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD[0001]The present invention relates to headwear comprising an endothermic reactor. Such headwear is particularly suited to use as or in conjunction with safety headwear, such as motorcycle helmets.BACKGROUND[0002]It has long been recognised that neurological deterioration in trauma victims is dramatically reduced when a hypothermic state is induced. This phenomenon has been observed, for example, when an accident victim has fallen into cold, icy water resulting in hypothermia. A similar phenomenon was observed during the Napoleonic Wars, when wounded soldiers who were left “out in the cold” managed to survive their injuries, whilst their counterparts who had been warmed by a nearby fire perished. More recently, medical practitioners have made use of this phenomenon by deliberately inducing mild hypothermia in patients, prior to emergency treatment or during surgical operations. This causes the body's vital functions to be slowed down, thus reducing the chances of brai...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0030]A motorcycle safety helmet which includes, incorporates or embodies headwear according to the present invention is able to provide significant cooling to the brain of a motorcycle accident victim without the need to remove the motorcycle rider's helmet. Neurological deterioration may thereby be reduced and brain damage can be avoided. It is furthermore thereby possible to reduce the tendency for the motorcyclist's head to overheat or become swelled up whilst it remains within the confines of the motorcycle helmet.

Problems solved by technology

This phenomenon has been observed, for example, when an accident victim has fallen into cold, icy water resulting in hypothermia.

It is, however, often the case that a victim will have suffered their injuries significantly in advance of their arrival at a hospital “Accident and Emergency” department.

If the delay between receiving an injury and receiving treatment at a hospital or other medical care facility is too long, significant neurological deterioration may already have occurred in the interim, and brain damage may thereafter be unavoidable.

The crews of emergency response vehicles are often the first on site with any means for treating a victim of severe injuries, but as yet paramedic teams do not widely carry head-cooling apparatus as part of their standard equipment, if at all.

Due to the exposed and unrestrained position of a motorcycle rider on their vehicle, motorcyclists who are involved in accidents often sustain severe injuries.

By far the most common cause of fatalities amongst motorcycle accident victims, however, are head injuries resulting in brain trauma.

If the same deceleration were to be applied to the rider's head, the motorcyclist's more rigid skull would tend also to be brought promptly to a halt, whilst the softer brain matter, which has nothing holding it place, tends to continue travelling, leading to traumatic internal brain injuries.

Nevertheless, despite advances in motorcycle safety helmet design, victims of motorcycle traffic accidents who wear such motorcycle safety helmets still sustain head injuries which result in brain damage.

One problem in this regard is that even with rapid response times, a paramedic or other emergency medical practitioner often cannot be on the scene of the accident until some significant time after the accident has taken place.

During this delay, neurological deterioration can occur, for example through bleeding into the brain, deprivation of oxygen supply, etc.

If the injured motorcyclist has sustained a head injury, this can lead to inflammation and swelling of the brain, within the skull and helmet.

Often, the head can swell up inside the motorcycle safety helmet, making it difficult or impossible to remove the helmet, after a certain period of time has elapsed (the helmet can then not be removed until the injured motorcyclist arrives at a hospital, where specialist cutting tools, such as those normally used for removing plaster casts, can be used to cut the helmet away from the motorcyclist's head).

These conditions can promote neurological deterioration, before any significant medical attention can be administered.

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