Hand-held Thermal Ablation Device

• US 20090082837A1
• Filed: 09/12/2008
• Published: 03/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Boston Scientific Scimed (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Morin, Armand, Gellman, Barry N., Slanda, Jozef
• Application Number:
  US12/209,460
• Publication Number:
  US 20090082837A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/105
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/04 by heating by applying electromagnetic radiation A61B18/18; hyperthermia using electric or magnetic fields, radiation or ultrasound A61N
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/12 by passing a current through the tissue to be heated, e.g. high-frequency current
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2018/046 in liquid form

Abstract

A thermal ablation system, comprises a device housing and an elongated probe extending distally from the device housing, the probe including an outflow fluid passage extending between proximal and distal outflow openings and a return fluid passage extending between proximal and distal return openings, the probe being shaped and sized for insertion into a body lumen so that, when the distal outflow and return openings are located at a desired position within the body, the proximal outflow and return openings remain outside the body in combination with a pump disposed in the device housing in fluid communication with the outflow and return fluid passages of the probe for circulating a fluid through the outflow lumen into a target area of the body and back through the return lumen to the device housing and a heating element in the device housing for heating the fluid. Fluid connectors place the pump and the heating element in fluid communication with a supply of fluid and a fluid drain.

Claims

1. A thermal ablation system, comprising:

a device housing;

an elongated probe extending distally from the device housing, the probe including an outflow fluid passage extending between proximal and distal outflow openings and a return fluid passage extending between proximal and distal return openings, the probe being shaped and sized for insertion into a body lumen so that, when the distal outflow and return openings are located at a desired position within the body, the proximal outflow and return openings remain outside the body;

a pump disposed in the device housing in fluid communication with the outflow and return fluid passages of the probe for circulating a fluid through the outflow lumen into a target area of the body and back through the return lumen to the device housing;

a heating element in the device housing for heating the fluid; and

fluid connectors placing the pump and the heating element in fluid communication with a supply of fluid and a fluid drain.

2. The thermal ablation system according to claim 1, further comprising a pump housing disposed in the device housing, the pump housing comprising a fluid reservoir, a debris trap and a filter.

3. The thermal ablation system according to claim 1, wherein the pump is a centrifugal pump.

4. The thermal ablation system according to claim 1, wherein the pump is an oscillating pump.

5. The thermal ablation system according to claim 2, wherein the pump housing comprises an impeller of a centrifugal pump.

6. The thermal ablation system according to claim 2, further comprising a magnetic coupling between a pump motor in the device housing and an impeller in the pump housing.

7. The thermal ablation system according to claim 2, further comprising a heater column disposed in the pump housing, the heater column containing fluid flowing over the heating element.

8. The thermal ablation system according to claim 1, wherein the heating element comprises one of monopolar and bipolar RF electrodes.

9. The thermal ablation system according to claim 1, wherein the outflow and return fluid passages of the probe are substantially coaxial and wherein the distal outflow and return openings are substantially coaxial.

10. The thermal ablation system according to claim 1, further comprising pressure and temperature feedback loops maintaining a pressure and temperature of the fluid below predetermined threshold levels.

11. The thermal ablation system according to claim 1, wherein the elongated probe comprises sealing elements which, when the distal outflow and return openings are in a desired position within a uterus, seal against a cervical os.

12. A hand-held thermal ablation device, comprising:

a handle;

an elongated probe extending between a proximal end coupled to the handle and a distal end which, when in an operative position, is received within a body lumen;

a pump within the handle in fluid connection with fluid passages in the elongated probe;

a fluid column within the handle containing a heating element, serially connected with the pump; and

an external fluid supply in fluid connection with the pump.

13. The hand-held thermal ablation device according to claim 12, wherein the probe is sized and shaped for insertion through a cervix into a uterus.

14. The hand-held thermal ablation device according to claim 12, wherein the pump housing in the handle, the pump housing comprising a fluid reservoir, the fluid column and a filtering element.

15. The hand-held thermal ablation device according to claim 14, further comprising an impeller disposed in the pump housing magnetically coupled to a motor.

16. The hand-held thermal ablation device according to claim 12, wherein the heating element is selected to heat the fluid to between 41.5°

C. and 99.9°

C.

17. The hand-held thermal ablation device according to claim 16, wherein the heating element is selected to heat the fluid to about 90°

C.

18. The hand-held thermal ablation device according to claim 14, further comprising a drainage passage receiving fluid from the return passage for discharge into a disposal container.

19. A method for ablating target tissue, comprising:

advancing a distal end of an elongated probe of a hand-held device into a body lumen;

heating a fluid with a heating element disposed in a housing of the hand-held device;

motivating the fluid with a pump disposed in the housing, to inject the fluid into the body lumen via an outflow passage of the elongated probe to ablate target tissue therein; and

withdrawing the fluid from the body lumen via a return passage of the elongated probe.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising advancing the distal end of the elongated probe through a cervix into a uterus.

21. The method according to claim 19, further comprising heating the fluid to a temperature of between about 41.5°

C. and about 99.9°

C.

22. The method according to claim 19, further comprising heating the fluid to a temperature of about 90°

C. for approximately 10 minutes.

23. The method according to claim 22, further comprising monitoring the pressure and temperature in a feedback loop to stop the pump if selected parameters are exceeded.