Method and apparatus for controlling a patient's body temperature by in situ blood temperature modifications
AssigneeRadiant Medical, Inc.
InventorRobert Ginsburg
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Abstract
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for controlling the internal body temperature of a patient. According to the present invention, a catheter is inserted through an incision into a large blood vessel of a patient. By selectively heating or cooling a portion of the catheter lying within the blood vessel, heat may be transferred to or from blood flowing within the vessel and the patient's body temperature may thereby be increased or decreased as desired. The invention will find use in treating undesirable conditions of hypothermia and hyperthermia, or for inducing a condition of artificial hypothermia when desired.
Claims13
A method of cooling a patient by cooling blood within the patient, the method comprising the steps of:
- inserting a catheter having a heat transfer region into a blood vessel of the patient so that the heat transfer region of the catheter lies within the blood vessel;
- providing at least one heat transfer fin projecting radially outward from said catheter in the heat transfer region;
- and
- transferring heat from the blood through the heat transfer region, wherein heat transfer is enhanced by the presence of the heat transfer fin.
A method for decreasing a patient's body temperature by cooling blood within the patient, the method comprising the steps of:
- inserting a catheter having a heat transfer region into a blood vessel of the patient so that the heat transfer region lies within the blood vessel:
- providing at least one heat transfer fin projecting radially outward from said heat transfer region;
- cooling the heat transfer region to a temperature lower than the blood in the vessel flowing past the heat transfer region;
- absorbing heat from the blood through the heat transfer region wherein heat transfer is enhanced the presence of the heat transfer fin;
- and
- maintaining the heat transfer region at the temperature lower than the blood in the vessel for sufficient time to effect a lowering of the patient's body temperature.
A method for inducing hypothermia by cooling blood within the patient, the method comprising the steps of:
- inserting a catheter having a cooling element into a blood vessel of the patient so that the cooling element lies within the blood vessel;
- providing a heat transfer fin projecting radially outward from the catheter in the region of the cooling element;
- and
- transferring heat from the blood through the cooling element to decrease the patient's body temperature, wherein heat transfer in enhanced by the presence of the heat transfer fin.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.