US 6,786,218 B2Granted

Medical procedure

AssigneeInnercool Therapies, Inc.

InventorJohn D. Dobak, III

Life of this patent

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Abstract

The use of an intravascular cooling element to induce hypothermia in connection with a medical procedure. According to a first aspect of the present, invention, a coronary bypass procedure is conducted in which a patient's blood is oxygenated with the patient's lungs and in which blood is circulated using the patient's heart or using an intracorporeal pump. The procedure preferably comprises: (a) positioning a heat transfer element in a blood vessel of a patient; (b) cooling the body of the patient to less than 35° C., more preferably 32±2° C., using the heat transfer element; and (c) forming a fluid communicating graft between an arterial blood supply and the coronary artery. The body of the patient is preferably heated to about 37° C. using the heat transfer element subsequent to the step of forming the fluid communicating graft. According to a further aspect of the invention, a hypothermic medical procedure is provided while a patient is in a conscious or semiconscious state, comprising (a) administering a beta-blocking drug to the patient; (b) delivering a heat transfer element to a blood vessel of the patient; and (c) cooling a region of the patient or the body of the patient to less than 35° C. using the heat transfer element.

Claims21

Dependent claims

A coronary bypass procedure comprising:

positioning a heat transfer element in a blood vessel of a patient;
cooling the body of the patient to less than 35° C. using said heat transfer element;
and
forming a fluid communicating graft between an arterial blood supply and the coronary artery;
wherein the patient's blood is oxygenated with the patient's lungs and wherein blood is circulated using the patient's heart or using an intracorporeal pump,
wherein said heat transfer element is attached to a distal end of a flexible catheter, wherein said catheter is used in the step of positioning said heat transfer element in said blood vessel, and wherein said catheter is used to convey chilled or heated fluid to the interior of said heat transfer element, and
further wherein the heat transfer element further comprises a plurality of exterior surface irregularities, said surface irregularities being shaped and arranged to create mixing in the blood, and
still further wherein the heat transfer element further comprises a plurality of interior surface irregularities within said heat transfer element, said interior surface irregularities being shaped and arranged to create mixing in fluid within said heat transfer element, and
still further wherein said interior and exterior surface irregularities comprise one or more helical ridges and one or more helical grooves.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/008,999Filed 7 Dec 2001 · division
Priority: 23 Jan 1998
Published: US 2002/0040717 A111 Apr 2002
Granted: 7 Sep 2004
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification11 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
A61F 7/12
Heating or cooling appliances for medical or therapeutic treatment of the human body: devices for heating or cooling internal body cavities
A61F 7/123
Devices for heating or cooling internal body cavities: using a flexible balloon containing the thermal element
A61B 2017/00292
For minimally invasive surgery: mounted on or guided by flexible, e.g. catheter-like, means

Family

Application09/012,287Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 23 Jan 1998
Application09/012,287Parent of this division · filed 23 Jan 1998
Application09/047,012Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 24 Mar 1998
Application09/052,545Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 31 Mar 1998
Application09/103,342Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 23 Jun 1998
Application09/292,532Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 15 Apr 1999
Application09/306,866Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 7 May 1999
Application09/373,112Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 11 Aug 1999
Application09/539,932Parent of this division · filed 31 Mar 2000
US 6,051,019 AParent of this continuation-in-part · filed 18 Apr 2000
US 2002/0040717 A1Pre-grant publication · published 11 Apr 2002
Application09/539,932Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 6,235,048 B1Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 6,096,068 AParent of this continuation-in-part
US 6,231,595 B1Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 5,957,963 AParent of this continuation-in-part
US 6,051,019 AParent of this division
US 6,491,039 B1Related patent
US 6,843,800 B1Related patent
US 6,786,218 B2This patent

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