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US-20260123939-A1 - APPARATUS FOR DISPLACEMENT OF BLOOD TO MITIGATE PERIPHERAL NERVE NEUROPATHY

US20260123939A1US 20260123939 A1US20260123939 A1US 20260123939A1US-20260123939-A1

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to devices, systems and methods adapted for implementing intermittent displacement of blood to mitigate peripheral nerve neuropathy such as that induced by chemotherapeutic agents (i.e., chemotherapy-induced neuropathy (CIN)) that are administered to a patient. Such devices, systems and methods advantageously provide for precise, uniform and controlled blood flow occluding (and optionally blood displacing) compression along irregular surfaces of an appendage of a patient. Such precise, uniform and controlled blood occluding compression is imparted upon the epidermal and dermis skin layers within the aforementioned areas of a patient's extremities to decrease the time that free nerve endings located in the epidermal and encapsulated nerve endings located in the dermis skin layers are exposed to nerve damaging chemotherapy chemicals, thereby substantially decreasing CIN caused by prolonged exposure to such chemicals.

Inventors

  • Jay Dean Everett
  • Steve Eugene Everett

Assignees

  • EVERETT MEDICAL TECHNOLOGIES LLC

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20260103

Claims (20)

  1. 1 . (canceled)
  2. 2 . A method for mitigating peripheral nerve neuropathy in a patient undergoing chemotherapy, comprising: administering a chemotherapeutic agent to the patient during a chemotherapy treatment session; and exerting a compressive force on a body part of the patient to at least partially displace blood within dermis tissue comprising peripheral nerve endings while retaining dermis tissue cell life, wherein the body part is a hand or a foot, and wherein the compressive force is maintained at a magnitude that simultaneously limits delivery of chemotherapeutic agents to peripheral nerve endings by partial occlusion of blood flow and retains dermis tissue cell life by allowing blood flow sufficient to sustain oxygenation while chemotherapeutic agents are present in circulating blood of the patient.
  3. 3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein exerting the compressive force is initiated prior to administration of the chemotherapeutic agent as part of the chemotherapy treatment session.
  4. 4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the compressive force is distributed over the body part to partially occlude blood flow in dermis tissue while maintaining sufficient blood flow to retain dermis tissue cell life during the chemotherapy treatment session.
  5. 5 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the compressive force is applied during a period in which chemotherapeutic agents are present in circulating blood of the patient, including a period after administration of the chemotherapeutic agent.
  6. 6 . The method of claim 2 , wherein exerting the compressive force is performed to at least partially occlude blood flow to dermis tissue comprising peripheral nerve endings during the chemotherapy treatment session.
  7. 7 . The method of claim 2 , wherein exerting the compressive force is performed during the chemotherapy treatment session during periods in which chemotherapeutic agents are present in circulating blood of the patient.
  8. 8 . The method of claim 2 , wherein exerting the compressive force causes displacement of blood containing chemotherapeutic agents from dermis tissue during the chemotherapy treatment session.
  9. 9 . The method of claim 2 , wherein exerting the compressive force reduces exposure of peripheral nerve endings located within epidermis and dermis skin layers to chemotherapeutic agents circulating in the blood.
  10. 10 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the chemotherapy treatment session includes administering the chemotherapeutic agent and a period during which chemotherapeutic agents are present in circulating blood of the patient.
  11. 11 . The method of claim 2 , wherein: exerting the compressive force comprises applying the compressive force to the body part either directly or indirectly; and the compressive force is exerted onto dermis tissue comprising peripheral nerve endings to at least partially displace blood while maintaining dermis tissue cell life.
  12. 12 . The method of claim 2 , wherein exerting the compressive force on the body part is performed to at least partially occlude blood flow to dermis tissue comprising peripheral nerve endings while maintaining blood flow to retain dermis tissue cell life.
  13. 13 . The method of claim 2 , wherein exerting the compressive force on the body part is performed with intermittent application of compressive force during the chemotherapy treatment session.
  14. 14 . The method of claim 2 , wherein: exerting the compressive force is performed for a duration during which chemotherapeutic agents are present in circulating blood of the patient; and the compressive force is intermittently relieved to allow blood flow to dermis tissue to retain dermis tissue cell life.
  15. 15 . The method of claim 2 , wherein exerting the compressive force is performed during at least a portion of the chemotherapy treatment session during which chemotherapeutic agents are present in circulating blood of the patient.
  16. 16 . The method of claim 2 , wherein exerting a distributed compressive force on a body part is performed during periods when chemotherapeutic agents are present in circulating blood of the patient.
  17. 17 . A method for mitigating peripheral nerve neuropathy in a patient undergoing chemotherapy, comprising: administering a chemotherapeutic agent to the patient during a chemotherapy treatment session; and during the chemotherapy treatment session in which the chemotherapeutic agent is administered to the patient, exerting a distributed compressive force on a body part of the patient to at least partially occlude blood flow to dermis tissue comprising peripheral nerve endings while retaining dermis tissue cell life, wherein the body part is a hand or a foot, and wherein the distributed compressive force is maintained at a magnitude for at least a portion of the chemotherapy treatment session, the magnitude being sufficient to simultaneously reduce exposure of the peripheral nerve endings to chemotherapeutic agents circulating in the blood and simultaneously maintain sufficient blood flow to provide oxygenation and retain dermis tissue cell life while chemotherapeutic agents are present in circulating blood of the patient.
  18. 18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein exerting the compressive force is initiated prior to administration of the chemotherapeutic agent and maintained during at least a portion of the chemotherapy treatment session.
  19. 19 . The method of claim 17 , wherein exerting the compressive force is intermittently relieved and reapplied on the body part while chemotherapeutic agents are present in circulating blood of the patient.
  20. 20 . The method of claim 17 , wherein exerting the compressive force is performed in a continuous manner during at least a portion of the chemotherapy treatment session, during which chemotherapeutic agents are present in circulating blood of the patient.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This continuation patent application claims priority from co-pending U.S. Non-provisional patent application having Ser. No. 18/638,577, filed 17 Apr. 2024, entitled “APPARATUS FOR DISPLACEMENT OF BLOOD TO MITIGATE PERIPHERAL NERVE NEUROPATHY”, which claims priority as a continuation patent application from co-pending U.S. Non-provisional patent application having Ser. No. 18/298,659, filed 11 Apr. 2023, entitled “APPARATUS FOR DISPLACEMENT OF BLOOD TO MITIGATE PERIPHERAL NERVE NEUROPATHY”, now U.S. Pat. No. 12,011,178 issued on 18 Jun. 2025, both having a common applicant herewith and being incorporated herein in their entirety by reference. This continuation patent application claims priority from co-pending U.S. Non-provisional patent application having Ser. No. 18/298,659, filed 11 Apr. 2023, entitled “APPARATUS FOR DISPLACEMENT OF BLOOD TO MITIGATE PERIPHERAL NERVE NEUROPATHY”, which claims priority as a continuation patent application from co-pending U.S. Non-provisional patent application having Ser. No. 16/834,807, filed 30 Mar. 2020, entitled “Device, System and Method For Intermittent Displacement of Blood to Mitigate Peripheral Nerve Neuropathy”, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,864,773 issued on 9 Jan. 2024, both having a common applicant herewith and being incorporated herein in their entirety by reference. U.S. Non-provisional patent application having Ser. No. 16/834,807 claims priority as a divisional from co-pending U.S. Non-provisional patent application having Ser. No. 16/695,114, filed 25 Nov. 2019, entitled “Device, System and Method For Intermittent Displacement of Blood to Mitigate Peripheral Nerve Neuropathy”, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,646,233 issued on 12 May 2020, having a common applicant herewith and being incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. U.S. Non-provisional patent application having Ser. No. 16/695,114 claims priority from co-pending U.S. Provisional Patent Application having Ser. No. 62/772,097, filed 28 Nov. 2018, entitled “Peripheral Nerve Neuropathy Prevention by Intermittent Blood Displacement”, having a common applicant herewith and being incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. U.S. Non-provisional patent application having Ser. No. 16/695,114 claims priority from co-pending U.S. Provisional Patent Application having Ser. No. 62/781,516, filed 18 Dec. 2018, entitled “Peripheral Nerve Neuropathy Prevention by Intermittent Blood Displacement”, having a common applicant herewith and being incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. U.S. Non-provisional patent application having Ser. No. 16/695,114 claims priority from co-pending U.S. Provisional Patent Application having Ser. No. 62/790,473, filed 10 Jan. 2019, entitled “Peripheral Nerve Neuropathy Prevention by Intermittent Blood Displacement”, having a common applicant herewith and being incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. U.S. Non-provisional patent application having Ser. No. 16/695,114 claims priority from co-pending U.S. Provisional Patent Application having Ser. No. 62/857,454, filed 5 Jun. 2019, entitled “Peripheral Nerve Neuropathy Prevention”, having a common applicant herewith and being incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE The disclosures made herein relate generally to treatment of cancer patients, more particularly, to devices, systems and methods for intermittent displacement of blood to mitigate peripheral nerve neuropathy. BACKGROUND Peripheral neuropathy is a condition that affects nerves outside of the brain and spinal cord (i.e., peripheral nerves). Peripheral neuropathy is often exhibited in patient's hands and feet due to the vast amount of nerves within such appendages. Peripheral neuropathy is known to affect both free nerves endings within the epidermal skin layer (i.e., unencapsulated nerves endings) and the nerve endings within the dermis skin layer (i.e., encapsulated nerves endings). Ailments in a portion of the body exhibiting peripheral neuropathy include, but are not limited to, weakness, numbness and pain. Peripheral neuropathy is known to be caused by a genetic condition or by one or more of many acquired conditions. One such acquired condition that is of particular interest is peripheral neuropathy resulting from treatment of cancer with one or more cytotoxic drugs causing the death of healthy and malignant cells (i.e., commonly referred to as chemotherapy). In this manner, chemotherapy treatment of cancer thus is known to cause chemotherapy-induced neuropathy (CIN)). CIN is severe side effect which occurs in a high majority of cancer patients after treatment with chemotherapeutics. Symptoms of peripheral neuropathy are usually mild to begin with and gradually worsen affecting frequently the hands, feet and lower legs. The soles of the feet and palms of the hands are most susceptible due to a high concentration of nerve endings (e.g., as many as 200,000 nerve endings per sole). Several