Cerebral temperature control

A method for brain hypothermia comprising, to enable a brain-selective hypothermia, the steps of:

• providing a container with an infusion solution having a first temperature and an arterial infusion catheter connected to an outlet of said container, said arterial infusion catheter having an infusion solution lumen;
• percutaneously inserting a distal end of said arterial infusion catheter into an artery in the vicinity of a branch artery supplying blood to the brain;
• cooling the infusion solution to a second temperature lower than said first temperature;
• and
• infusing an amount of said cold infusion solution into said artery via the infusion solution lumen of said arterial infusion catheter shortly after said cooling, to enable the cold infusion solution to cool the blood flowing to the brain while avoiding air bubbles arising in the infusion solution and an efficient temperature regulation of the brain.

A method for brain hypothermia comprising, to enable a maintained hypothermia, the steps of:

• inserting into a blood vessel an extraction catheter for extraction of blood;
• inserting an arterial infusion catheter in the vicinity of an artery supplying blood to the brain;
• establishing an second extra-corporeal blood circuit for cooled blood between said extraction catheter and said arterial infusion catheter via a pumping means and a cooling device capable of cooling extracted blood;
• inserting a venous infusion catheter into a vein of the venous system;
• establishing a first extra-corporeal blood circuit for heated blood between said extraction catheter and said venous infusion catheter via said pumping means and a heating device capable of heating extracted blood;
• extracting blood from said blood vessel via said extraction catheter into said first and second extra-corporeal blood circuit;
• cooling a second amount of said extracted blood;
• infusing said cooled second amount of extracted blood to said brain supplying artery via said arterial infusion catheter;
• heating a first amount of said extracted blood;
• infusing said heated first amount of extracted blood to said venous system via said venous infusion catheter.

An equipment for brain hypothermia comprising, to enable a maintained hypothermia:

• an extraction catheter configured to be inserted into a blood vessel for extraction of blood;
• an arterial infusion catheter configured to be inserted in an artery into the vicinity of an artery supplying blood to the brain;
• means for establishing an second extra-corporeal blood circuit for cooled blood between said extraction catheter and said arterial infusion catheter via a pumping means and a cooling device capable of cooling extracted blood;
• a venous infusion catheter being configured to be inserted into a vein of the venous system;
• means for establishing a first extra-corporeal blood circuit for heated blood between said extraction catheter and said venous infusion catheter via said pumping means and a heating device capable of heating extracted blood;
• means for extracting blood from said blood vessel via said extraction catheter into said first and second extra-corporeal blood circuit;
• a cooling device for cooling a second amount of said extracted blood;
• a heating device for heating a first amount of said extracted blood;
• and being configured to:
• infusing said cooled second amount of extracted blood to said brain supplying artery via said arterial infusion catheter;
• infusing said heated first amount of extracted blood to said venous system via said venous infusion catheter.

A catheter, wherein:

• the catheter is configured to assume a curvature at its distal part and having
• a first lumen having a plurality of openings positioned close to a distal end of the catheter and at the outer arc of the curvature;
• a second lumen having an opening at the tip of the distal end of the catheter;
• a distal part of the catheter tapering from said plurality of openings to said tip of the catheter.