US 2023/0389975 A1Published application

Dual stage cryocooler

AssigneeBiocompatibles UK Limited

InventorsSatish Ramadhyani, Graig Kveen, Harishankar Natesan

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A cryoablation tool has a primary fluid circuit for cryogenically cooling or heating tissue surrounding the distal portion of the cryoablation tool. The primary fluid circuit has a primary-primary heat exchanger facilitating recuperative heat exchange between a high pressure stream of a primary fluid and a low pressure stream of the primary fluid. The cryoablation tool has a secondary fluid circuit having a secondary-secondary heat exchanger for permitting recuperative heat exchange between a high pressure stream of a secondary fluid and a low pressure stream of the secondary fluid. The secondary fluid circuit also has a primary-secondary heat exchanger permitting heat exchange between the high pressure stream of the primary fluid and the low pressure stream of the secondary fluid.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A cryoablation tool comprising:

a shaft having a proximal end and a distal end;
a primary supply conduit configured to supply a primary fluid from a high-pressure cryogenic gas source to a distal end of the shaft, the primary supply conduit comprising a first Joule-Thomson (J-T) orifice, configured to deliver the primary fluid to a first expansion chamber;
a primary return conduit configured to carry the primary fluid away from the first expansion chamber;
a secondary supply conduit configured to supply a secondary fluid to a second J-T orifice, the second J-T orifice configured to deliver the secondary fluid to a second expansion chamber;
and
a secondary return conduit configured to carry the secondary fluid away from the second expansion chamber,
the primary supply conduit comprising a primary-secondary heat exchange region and a primary-primary heat exchange region, the primary-primary heat exchange region being down stream of the primary-secondary heat exchange region;
and the secondary supply conduit comprising a secondary-secondary heat exchange region up stream of the second J-T orifice, and
the primary return conduit further configured to pass the primary fluid over the primary-primary heat exchange region, in counterflow to the supply direction;
the secondary return conduit further configured to pass the secondary fluid sequentially over the primary-secondary heat exchange region and the secondary-secondary heat exchange region in counterflow to the supply direction.

7 more elements

A cryoablation method using a cryoablation tool with a shaft having arranged therein a primary supply conduit connected to a first Joule-Thomson (J-T) orifice in a first expansion chamber and a secondary supply conduit connected to a second J-T orifice in a second expansion chamber, the method comprising:

supplying a primary fluid from a high-pressure cryogenic gas source to a distal end of the shaft;
expanding, cryogenically, a high-pressure stream of a primary fluid to a low-pressure stream of the primary fluid via the primary fluid circuit, the first J-T orifice being fluidly coupled to a primary-primary heat exchanger via a primary supply conduit to receive the high-pressure stream of the primary fluid after the high-pressure stream of the primary fluid passes through the primary-primary heat exchanger;
directing the primary fluid away from the first expansion chamber via a primary return conduit arranged within the shaft;
directing a low-pressure stream of a secondary fluid to exchange heat with a high-pressure stream of a primary fluid in a primary-secondary heat exchanger prior to exchanging heat with the high-pressure stream of the secondary fluid in a secondary-secondary heat exchanger;
directing the secondary fluid leaving the secondary-secondary heat exchanger to enter a secondary conduit and to flow toward the second J-T orifice;
and
directing the secondary fluid away from the second expansion chamber via a secondary return conduit arranged within the shaft.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 18/236,312Filed 21 Aug 2023
Priority: 14 Aug 2019
Published: 7 Dec 2023
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

A61B 18/02
Surgical instruments, devices or methods for transferring non-mechanical forms of energy to or from the body: by cooling, e.g. cryogenic techniques
A61B 2018/00041
Cooling or heating of the probe or tissue immediately surrounding the probe: heating, e.g. defrosting
A61B 2018/00541
For treatment of particular body parts: lung or bronchi
A61B 2018/00577
For achieving a particular surgical effect: ablation

Family

Application62/886,853Us provisional application · filed 14 Aug 2019
Application16/994,110Division · filed 14 Aug 2020
Application18/236,312Division
US 11,786,285 B2Related patent
US 12,383,326 B2Related patent
US 2021/0045793 A1Published application
US 2023/0389975 A1This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.