Diagnostic assembly and method including cold bars for detecting a presence of cancer

A method for detecting a presence of cancer in breasts of a patient using a pair of cold bars (26, 326, 426), said method comprising the steps of;

• recording a control thermal image of the breasts of the patient,
• cooling the hands of the patient,
• recording a test thermal image of the breasts of the patient after the hands of the patient have been cooled,
• comparing the test thermal image to the control thermal image to identify regions of the breasts in which the temperature remained substantially unchanged after the hands of the patient were cooled indicating the presence of angiogenic blood vessels and cancer in the regions,
• and characterized by
• spacing the arms of the patient from the breasts of the patient for preventing the arms of the patient from heating the breasts of the patient during said steps of recording a control thermal image and cooling the hands of the patient and recording a test thermal image,
• moving the cold bars (26, 326, 426) vertically to a vertical position to accommodate for the height and arm length of the patient to provide for increased comfort of the patient and to maintain the arms of the patient in a position spaced from the breasts of the patient and preventing the at least one arm of the patient from heating the breasts of the patient during said steps of cooling the at least one hand of the patient and recording a test thermal image,
• setting the cold bars (26, 326, 426) to be cooled to a preselected temperature in the range between about 10 and 12 degrees Celsius,
• said step of cooling the hands of the patient includes receiving the hands of the patient respectively on at least one of the cold bars (26, 326, 426) to transfer heat from the hands of the patient to the cold bars (26, 326, 426),
• maintaining the cold bars (26, 326, 426) at the preselected temperature during said step of cooling the hands of the patient,
• said step of maintaining the cold bars (26, 326, 426) at the preselected temperature includes sensing the temperature of the cold bars (26, 326, 426) during the transferring of heat from the hands of the patient to the cold bars (26, 326, 426) and extracting heat from the cold bars (26, 326, 426) in response to the sensed temperature of the cold bars (26, 326, 426).

A diagnostic assembly (20, 320) for detecting a presence of cancer in a patient comprising;

• a frame (22, 322),
• and characterized by,
• at least one cold bar (26, 326, 426) supported by said frame (22, 322) for receiving a hand of the patient,
• a temperature controller (72) in communication with said cold bar (26, 326, 426) to maintain a constant temperature of said at least one cold bar (26, 326, 426).

A diagnostic assembly (20, 320) for detecting a presence of cancer in a patient comprising;

• a frame (22, 322) including a base (28, 328) and a pair of sidewalls (30, 330) extending perpendicularly from said base (28, 328),
• a plurality of casters (32) connected to said base (28, 328) for establishing rolling movement of said diagnostic assembly (20, 320) over a floor in an examination room,
• and characterized by,
• said frame (22, 322) further including a carrier (34, 334) moveably connected with said base (28, 328),
• a track (36, 336) extending perpendicularly to and away from said base (28, 328) interconnecting said base (28, 328) and said carrier (34, 334),
• said carrier (34, 334) slideably disposed on said track (36, 336) to provide for vertical and linear movement of said carrier (34, 334) along said track (36, 336),
• a pair of cold bars (26, 326, 426) connected with said carrier (34, 334) and spaced from said track (36, 336),
• each of said cold bars (26, 326, 426) including a chassis (38, 338) having a generally box shape and having a lower face (40) and a frontward face (42) and a rearward face (44) and a pair of side faces (46) extending from said lower face (40) and defining a compartment (48) between said faces (40, 42, 44, 46),
• said cold bars (26, 326, 426) each further including a pommel (50, 350, 450) of an aluminum material connected with said frontward face (42) of said chassis (38, 338) for receiving a hand of the patient,
• said pommel (50, 350, 450) of each of said cold bars (26, 326, 426) being spaced from said carrier (34, 334) by said chassis (38, 338),
• said pommel (50, 350, 450) and said frontward face (42) of said chassis (38, 338) of each of said cold bars (26, 326, 426) defining a passage (54) extending to said compartment (48) of said chassis (38, 338),
• a cooling element (56) disposed in said passage (54) in each of said pommels (50, 350, 450) for adjusting the temperature of said outer surface of said pommel (50, 350, 450),
• said cooling element (56) being of the peltier semiconductor type,
• a controller (70) connected with said assembly (20, 320) for controlling said assembly (20, 320),
• said controller (70) including a temperature controller (72) connected with said cooling element (56) to control the temperature of said outer surface of said pommels (50, 350, 450),
• said temperature controller (72) including a circuit board disposed in said compartment (48) and electrically connected with said cooling element (56) to control the temperature of said outer surface of said cold bars (26, 326, 426),
• a sensor (76) engaging each of said pommels (50, 350, 450) for reading the temperature of said outer surface of said pommels (50, 350, 450) and transmitting temperature data,
• said controller (70) being electrically connected with said sensor (76) for receiving temperature data from said sensor (76) to allow said controller (70) to substantially maintain a constant temperature of said outer surface of each of said pommels (50, 350, 450),
• a heat sink (58) disposed in said compartment (48) adjacent to said cooling element (56) for directing heat produced by said cooling element (56) away from said cooling element (56),
• a pair of bolts (60) threadedly connecting said pommel (50, 350, 450) and said heat sink (58) to sandwich said frontward face (42) of said chassis (38, 338) between said pommel (50, 350, 450) and said heat sink (58) to secure said pommel (50, 350, 450) and said chassis (38, 338) and said heat sink (58) to one another,
• said lower face (40) of said chassis (38, 338) defining a plurality of exhaust outlets (62) for allowing heated air adjacent to said heat sink (58) to escape from said compartment (48),
• a fan (64) disposed in said compartment (48) adjacent to said heat sync for directing heated air adjacent to said heat sink (58) out of said exhaust outlets (62),
• said side faces (46) of said chassis (38) each defining an air inlet (66) for allowing ambient air to enter said compartment (48),
• a power source (78) electrically connected with said cooling element (56) and said temperature controller (72) and said sensor (76) for powering said cooling element (56) and said temperature controller (72),
• a graphical user interface having a rectangular shape connected with said frame (22) for presenting and receiving operational data related to the assembly (20).