APPARATUS AND METHOD OF SHIELDING BONE MARROW DURING CHEMOTHERAPY

摘要

The invention provides a variety of bone marrow-shielding tourniquets andmethods for using them to perform bone marrow-shielded chemotherapy with orwithout general anesthesia and without the need to remove a patient's bonemarrow for protection during the procedure. In the invention method, pressureis applied to at least one body part of the patient that contains myelopoieticbone marrow to temporarily occlude arterial flow to the bone marrow whileblood circulation through the remainder of the body is maintained. Then aneffective amount of at least one myelosuppressive chemotherapeutic agent isadministered to the blood circulation in the remainder of the patient whilethe arterial flow through the at least one body part is occluded and so thatthe myelosuppressive effect of the agent is substantially dissipated withinthe maximum safe period for the occlusion of the arterial flow, or about threehours. The pressure is removed to restore blood circulation to the bone marrowwhen the effect has substantially dissipated and within the maximum safeperiod. By the invention method, a tumor located in the remainder of the bodyis treated by the at least one chemotherapeutic agent without destruction of asubstantial portion of the bone marrow in the occluded body part. The bonemarrow shiedling tourniquets for use in the invention chemotherapeutic methodare designed to substantially cover at least the shoulder or hip area of ahuman so as to occlude arterial flow therein and includes inflatable bladdersthat apply the requisite pressure when the tourniquet is applied to thewearer. The shoulder tourniquet optionally is designed to occlude arterialflow into the proximal scapula as well as into the shoulder area. Bilateraltourniquets are also provided for simultaneous occlusion of bilateralshoulders and, optionally bilateral scapulae.