Devices and methods for controlling patient temperature

Inventors

Kulstad, Erik • Caherty, Hugh Patrick

Assignees

Attune Medical

Abstract

Relatively non-invasive devices and methods for heating or cooling a patient's body are disclosed. Devices and methods for treating ischemic conditions by inducing therapeutic hypothermia are disclosed. Devices and methods for inducing therapeutic hypothermia through esophageal cooling are disclosed. Devices and methods for operative temperature management are disclosed.

Core Innovation

The invention relates to relatively non-invasive patient temperature control systems and methods that provide esophageal cooling and/or warming. A heat transfer device is nasally or orally inserted into a patient so that a heat transfer region is positioned in an esophagus while a gastric tube extends into a stomach. The heat transfer device includes one or more lumens that provide a fluid path for flow of a heat transfer medium.

Systemic mild therapeutic hypothermia is induced and therapeutic temperature modulation is performed by controlling core temperature for prolonged periods. The document emphasizes tight steady-state control of patient temperature, including low variation, to manage temperatures such as normothermia and mild therapeutic hypothermia. In embodiments discussed, esophageal heat transfer is used during temperature management for therapeutic outcomes in relevant clinical settings.

Device architectures are described with lumens and a defined heat transfer region for heat exchange with esophageal tissue. The document further describes features to promote fluid behavior in the lumen, including laminar flow, and heat transfer region configurations, including helical or C-shaped configurations and optional access/decompression features via the gastric tube. Pressure management within the gastric environment is described using an inflatable or partially inflatable lumen with pressure sensing and periodic inflation-deflation to avoid excessive gastric pressure, while embodiments also include non-inflatable heat transfer region exclusions.

Claims Coverage

The provided claim set includes one independent method claim, directed to cooling esophageal tissue during a cardiac ablation procedure. The claim coverage is anchored around a nasally or orally inserted esophageal heat transfer device with lumens forming a fluid path, a defined heat transfer region diameter, and a gastric tube extending into the stomach, followed by initiating fluid flow along the fluid path.

Overall, the independent claim coverage centers on cooling esophageal tissue during cardiac ablation by using a nasally or orally inserted esophageal heat transfer device with lumens defining a fluid path, a heat transfer region of about 1.0 to about 2.0 centimeters, a gastric tube extending into the stomach during esophageal positioning, and initiating flow of the heat transfer medium along the fluid path.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications