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US 5,551,240 AGranted
Method and apparatus for maintaining temperature control of sterile fluid
AssigneeO. R. Solutions, Inc.
InventorsDurward I. Faries, Jr., Mark Licata
Life of this patent
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AssigneeO. R. Solutions, Inc.
InventorsDurward I. Faries, Jr., Mark Licata
Estimating the term…
Sterile surgical fluid is maintained at substantially its freezing temperature to prevent both melting and formation of solid ice pieces in surgical slush and to provide a supply of near freezing fully liquid phase sterile fluid as required. Slush is initially formed in a refrigeration mode wherein a basin containing sterile fluid medium is cooled to well below the freezing temperature of the medium to thereby rapidly lower the medium temperature. Upon formation of the slush the system is placed in a maintain mode wherein the container temperature is kept at or near the freezing temperature of the medium to selectively provide either slush or near freezing liquid. In the preferred embodiment the maintain mode is effected by electrically energizing one or more thermoelectric modules and de-energizing a refrigeration system in which the refrigerant fluid is passed through an evaporator disposed in thermal energy transfer relation to the basin. In alternative embodiments the refrigeration system itself is controlled to keep the container temperature at or near the freezing point during the maintain mode.
Apparatus for providing surgical slush from a sterile fluid medium, said apparatus comprising:
A method of providing sterile surgical slush comprising the steps of:
Apparatus for providing chilled liquid phase sterile fluid medium, said apparatus comprising:
A method of providing chilled liquid phase sterile surgical medium comprising the steps of:
The method of providing a chilled liquid phase of a sterile medium in a container for use during a surgical procedure, said method comprising the steps of:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.