All-Liquid Cryoablation Catheter
AssigneeCryoMedix, LLC
InventorsWilliam J. Nydam, Barron W. Nydam
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system and a method for its use are provided to cool a cryotip at the distal end of a probe for a cryosurgical procedure. In particular, the cryotip is cooled by a liquid refrigerant to cryogenic temperatures in order to perform a cryosurgical procedure on biological tissue. For the invention, the system maintains the refrigerant in a liquid state as it transits through the cryotip. In one embodiment, a closed system is disclosed in which liquid refrigerant from the cryotip is recycled and reused. In another disclosed embodiment, liquid refrigerant from the cryotip is evaporated and the resulting vapor is released through a vent.
Claims20
A closed system for cryoablation which comprises:
- a container for holding a liquid refrigerant at a base pressure PB;
- an external refrigerator for cooling the liquid refrigerant in the container to a temperature Tmin;
- a liquid pump for moving the liquid refrigerant from the container and through the system at an elevated operational pressure Popn;
- a cryoprobe for receiving the liquid refrigerant from the pump for use in a cryoablation procedure;
- and
- a return line for returning liquid refrigerant from the cryoprobe to a secondary container, wherein the secondary container is removable from the return line, engageable with the external refrigerator to cool liquid refrigerant in the secondary container and attachable to the liquid pump to allow liquid refrigerant in the secondary container to be reused.
A system for cryoablation which comprises:
- a liquid refrigerant;
- a container for holding the liquid refrigerant at a base pressure PB;
- a refrigerator for cooling the liquid refrigerant to a temperature Tmin;
- a liquid pump for moving the liquid refrigerant through the system at an elevated operational pressure Popn;
- a cryoprobe for receiving the liquid refrigerant for use in a cryoablation procedure;
- a return line for returning liquid refrigerant from the cryoprobe;
- and
- an evaporator/vent unit for receiving liquid refrigerant from the return line, evaporating the liquid refrigerant and venting the resulting vapor.
A closed system for cryoablation which comprises:
- a liquid refrigerant;
- an external refrigerator for cooling the liquid refrigerant to a temperature Tmin;
- a liquid pump for moving the liquid refrigerant from the container and through the system at an elevated operational pressure Popn;
- a cryoprobe for receiving the liquid refrigerant from the pump for use in a cryoablation procedure;
- a return line for returning liquid refrigerant from the cryoprobe;
- a means for selectively transporting liquid refrigerant from the return line to the external refrigerator to cool the liquid refrigerant;
- and
- a means for selectively transporting cooled liquid from the external refrigerator to the liquid pump.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.