Systems and methods for sensing patient temperature in temperature management system

• US 20060276864A1
• Filed: 06/03/2005
• Published: 12/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Alsius Corporation (Asahi Kasei Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alsius Corporation (Asahi Kasei Corporation)
• Inventors: Collins, Kenneth A.
• Application Number:
  US11/145,103
• Publication Number:
  US 20060276864A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/105
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00084 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0086 with a thermostat
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/126 for invasive application, e.g. for introducing into blood vessels
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 7/12 Devices for heating or cooling internal body cavities

Abstract

Various methods are disclosed for measuring patient temperature for input as a feedback signal into a temperature management system.

Claims

1. A system for controlling patient temperature, comprising:

a heat transfer member engageable with a human patient;

a temperature control system engageable with the heat transfer member to circulate working fluid therethrough; and

at least one patient temperature sensor generating a signal representative of patient temperature and sending the signal to the control system, the sensor being selected from the group consisting of;

a temperature sensor positioned against the skin of a patient over the temporal artery and covered with a thermally insulative biocompatible shield, and a temperature sensor located at a sublingual region of a support disposed in the patient'"'"'s mouth.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the heat transfer member is a closed loop catheter.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the heat transfer member is at least one heat transfer pad.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the temperature sensor is associated with a wireless transmitter wirelessly transmitting the signal to the control system.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the temperature sensor is positioned against the skin of a patient above the temporal artery and covered with a polymeric gel.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is mounted on a mouth guard and is connected to an electrical wire ending in a connector configured for mechanically engaging the control system.

7. A patient temperature sensor system, comprising:

a mouth guard defining a sublingual region;

a temperature sensor disposed on the mouth guard at the sublingual region; and

means for sending a signal from the temperature sensor to a control system.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the means for sending is a wireless transmitter.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the means for sending is a wire.

10. A method for generating a signal representative of patient temperature, comprising:

positioning a temperature sensor against a patient over a temporal artery;

covering the sensor with a thermally insulative biocompatible shield; and

sending a signal from the sensor to a control system.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the sending act is undertaken wirelessly.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the shield is a polymer.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the polymer is in gel form.