Rapid induction of mild hypothermia

• US 20040064170A1
• Filed: 09/30/2002
• Published: 04/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Physio-Control Incorporated (Stryker Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Physio-Control Incorporated (Stryker Corporation)
• Inventors: Nygaard, Larry R., Radons, Stephen W., Chester, Steven M., Abbenhouse, Martin S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,179,279 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/104
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0001 Body part
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0057 of gas, e.g. air or carbon dioxide
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0063 for cooling
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0233 connected to or incorporated in clothing or garments A61F2007/023 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/026 with a fluid absorbing layer
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 7/02 Compresses or poultices for effecting heating or cooling

Abstract

In general, the disclosure presents techniques for rapidly cooling the body of a patient. A cooling garment is placed in contact with the body of the patient. Spacers within the cooling garment create a space between at least a portion of the cooling garment and the body of the patient. The cooling garment receives a coolant from a coolant supply and delivers the coolant to the body of the patient. The heat from the body of the patient may evaporate the coolant. A carrier gas, which circulates within the space between the cooling garment and the patient, carries the gaseous coolant out of the cooling garment via an exit port. The rapid cooling of the patient may slow the neurological damage to the patient.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a garment for placing in contact with a body;

a spacer for separating at least part of the garment from the body defining a space;

a coolant delivery conduit for delivering a coolant to the body in the space;

a carrier gas intake port in the garment for fluidly connecting the space to a carrier gas supply;

an exit port in the garment for fluidly connecting the space to an exterior environment; and

a carrier gas mover for moving the carrier gas within the space.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the coolant is a liquid.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the liquid coolant is one of water and alcohol.

4. The device of claim 2, wherein the liquid coolant is a mixture of water and alcohol.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the coolant is one of a gas and a gel.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the carrier gas from the carrier gas supply is one of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and air.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the carrier gas is dehumidified.

8. The device of claim 1, further comprising a fastener for securing the garment to the body.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the fastener is one of Velcro, a zipper, a button, a clip, a strap, a buckle, and an adhesive.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the coolant delivery conduit includes at least one aperture through which the coolant exits the coolant delivery conduit.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the carrier gas mover includes one of a fan, a pressurized gas supply, and a pump.

12. The device of claim 1, further comprising a seal member for separating the space from the exterior environment.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the coolant delivery conduit is the seal member.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein the seal member is one of a flexible rubber web, an O-ring tube seal, and a collapsible tube.

15. The device of claim 1, further comprising a body access for allowing access to a portion of the body.

16. The device of claim 1, wherein the spacer is coupled to the garment.

17. The device of claim 1, wherein the spacer is attachable to the garment.

18. The device of claim 1, wherein the spacer includes one of a chain and air.

19. The device of claim 1, wherein the coolant delivery conduit is the spacer.

20. The device of claim 1, further comprising an absorbent layer in contact with the body.

21. The device of claim 20, wherein the absorbent layer is constructed of one of cotton and polypropylene.

22. The device of claim 1, further comprising a support pad for supporting the body.

23. The device of claim 22, wherein the support pad is external to the cooling garment.

24. The device of claim 23, wherein the support pad is internal to the cooling garment and is absorbent.

25. The device of claim 1, further comprising a sensor generating a signal.

26. The device of claim 25, further comprising a processor for receiving the signal.

27. The device of claim 26, further comprising a communication link that communicates the signal from the sensor to the processor.

28. The device of claim 27, wherein the communication link is one of an optical fiber link, a wireless link, and a wire link.

29. The device of claim 26, further comprising a housing for the processor.

30. The device of claim 25, wherein the spacer is implemented by the sensor.

31. The device of claim 25, further comprising a second sensor.

32. The device of claim 25, wherein the sensor is one of a temperature sensor, a thermocouple, an oxygen sensor, a velocity Doppler probe, an electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor, and an electroencephalograph (EEG) sensor.

33. The device of claim 1, further comprising a expansion valve interposed between the space and the carrier gas supply.

34. The device of claim 1, further comprising a battery pack.

35. The device of claim 1, wherein the garment is constructed of electrically insulated material.

36. The device of claim 1, wherein the garment includes a headgear that contacts at least a portion of a head.

37. The device of claim 36, wherein the headgear further includes an inner and outer shell.

38. The device of claim 1, wherein the garment includes a body gear for contacting at least a portion of the body.

39. The device of claim 38, wherein the body gear includes at least one of an upper body gear and a lower body gear.

40. The device of claim 39, wherein the upper body gear is for covering at least a portion of an armpit of the body.

41. The device of claim 39, wherein the lower body gear is for covering at least a portion of a groin of the body.

42. The device of claim 1, wherein the garment includes:

a headgear for contacting at least a portion of a head; and

a body gear for contacting at least a portion of the body.

43. A system comprising:

a headgear for contacting at least a portion of a head of a patient;

a body gear for contacting at least a portion of a body part of the patient other than the head; and

a coolant supply container for supplying coolant to the headgear and the body gear.

44. The system of claim 43, wherein the headgear includes:

a spacer for separating at least part of the headgear from the head of the patient defining a space;

a coolant delivery conduit for delivering a coolant to the head in the space;

a carrier gas intake port in the headgear for fluidly connecting the space to a carrier gas supply; and

an exit port in the headgear for fluidly connecting the space to an exterior environment.

45. The system of claim 43, wherein the body gear includes:

a spacer for separating at least part of the body gear from the body of the patient defining a space;

a coolant delivery conduit for delivering a coolant to the body in the space;

a carrier gas intake port in the body gear for fluidly connecting the space to a carrier gas supply; and

an exit port in the body gear for fluidly connecting the space to an exterior environment.

46. The system of claim 43, wherein the coolant supplied to the patient is one of alcohol and water.

47. The system of claim 43, wherein the coolant supplied to the patient is a mixture of alcohol and water.

48. The system of claim 43, further comprising a carrier gas supply container for supplying a carrier gas to the headgear and body gear.

49. The system of claim 48, further comprising a carrier gas cooler to cool the carrier gas.

50. The system of claim 49, wherein the carrier gas cooler includes at least one of a blue ice canister and a heat exchanger.

51. The system of claim 43, further comprising a warm air supply container for supplying warm air to a part of the body not covered by the headgear or body gear.

52. The system of claim 51, wherein the warm air supply container supplies warm air to one of a face, a hand, and a foot of the patient.

53. The system of claim 43, further comprising a power source.

54. The system of claim 53, wherein the power source is one of an alternating current power source and a direct current power source.

55. The system of claim 54, wherein the direct current power source is a battery.

56. A method comprising:

separating at least a portion of a cooling garment from a body of a patient to create a space;

allowing a coolant to exit a coolant delivery conduit onto the body in the space;

allowing a carrier gas to enter the space via a carrier gas port; and

expelling the coolant in a gaseous state from an exit port in the garment.

57. The method of claim 56, wherein the coolant delivery conduit includes apertures, and wherein allowing the coolant to exit the coolant delivery conduit includes one of dripping the coolant from the apertures, misting the coolant from the apertures, seeping the coolant from the apertures, and spraying the coolant from the apertures.

58. The method of claim 56, further comprising securing the garment to the body.

59. The method of claim 58, wherein securing the garment to the body includes fastening a fastener that is coupled to the garment.

60. The method of claim 56, wherein allowing a carrier gas to enter the space via the carrier gas port further comprises allowing a carrier gas to enter the space via an expansion valve coupled to a carrier gas port.

61. The method of claim 56, further comprising circulating the carrier gas within the space via a carrier gas mover.

62. The method of claim 56, further comprising cooling at least one of the carrier gas and the coolant.

63. The method of claim 56, further comprising dehumidifying the carrier gas.

64. The method of claim 56, further comprising evaporating the coolant with heat from the body.

65. The method of claim 56, further comprising absorbing the coolant that is delivered to the body with an absorbent layer.

66. The method of claim 56, further comprising isolating the space between the body and the garment from an external environment via a seal member.

67. The method of claim 56, further comprising allowing access to the body of the patient via a body access in the garment.

68. The method of claim 56, further comprising:

generating a signal as a function of a patient parameter; and

relaying the signal to a processor via a communication link.

69. The method of claim 68, further comprising processing the signal.

70. The method of claim 56, further comprising blowing warm air on an exposed body part of the patient.

71. The method of claim 56, further comprising injecting a cooled saline solution into the blood stream of the patient.

72. The method of claim 56, further comprising supplying oxygen to the patient.

73. The method of claim 72, further comprising cooling the supplied oxygen.

74. The method of claim 56, further comprising partitioning the space into areas, each area including a carrier gas port.

75. A device comprising:

an inner shell proximate to a body part of a patient, a space between the body part and the inner shell being an inner space;

an outer shell surrounding the inner shell, a space between the outer shell and the inner shell being an outer space in fluid communication with the inner space; and

an exit port for expelling a coolant and a gas, the gas moving from the outer space to the inner space.

76. The device of claim 75, further comprising an inner spacer for separating the inner shell from the body part.

77. The device of claim 75, further comprising an outer spacer for separating the inner shell from the outer shell.

78. The device of claim 75, further comprising a seal member for forming a seal between the spaces and an exterior environment.

79. The device of claim 75, wherein the inner shell and outer shell are deformable to conform to the body part.

80. The device of claim 75, further comprising a fastener for securing the inner shell to the body part.

81. The device of claim 75, further comprising:

a sensor for contacting the body part and generates a signal; and

a processor for receiving the signal.

82. The device of claim 75, the outer shell including a coolant inlet port.

83. The device of claim 75, the outer shell including a coolant inlet port and a coolant outlet port.

84. The device of claim 75, further comprising a carrier gas intake port in fluid communication with the outer space.

85. The device of claim 84, further comprising a carrier gas mover for driving the gas from the carrier gas intake port to the exit port.

86. The device of claim 85, wherein the carrier gas mover is one of a fan, a pressurized gas source, and a pump.

87. The device of claim 75, further comprising a body access for allowing access to the body of the patient.

88. The device of claim 75, wherein the outer shell is electrically insulated.

89. The device of claim 75, further comprising a battery pack.

90. The device of claim 75, further comprising an expander for fitting the device on different size bodies.

91. The device of claim 75, further comprising a cavity for housing a processor.