COOLING DEVICE FOR REMOVING HEAT FROM SUBCUTANEOUS LIPID-RICH CELLS

• US 20110066216A1
• Filed: 11/09/2010
• Published: 03/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ZELTIQ Aesthetics, Inc. (Abbvie Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: ZELTIQ Aesthetics, Inc. (Abbvie Incorporated)
• Inventors: Wisdom, Richard, Tolkoff, Samuel W., Ting, Joseph, Robinson, Timothy
• Granted Patent: US 8,337,539 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/104
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0056 for cooling
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0075 using a Peltier element, e.g. near the spot to be heated or cooled
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0076 remote from the spot to be heated or cooled
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0086 with a thermostat
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0087 Hand-held applicators
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/029 Fat cell removal or destruction by non-ablative heat treatment
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 7/00 Heating or cooling appliances for medical or therapeutic treatment of the human body heating or cooling means in connection with bedsteads or mattresses A47C21/00 ; massage, therapeutic baths A61H; hyperthermia using electric or magnetic fields or ultrasound A61N; electric heating elements H05B
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 7/007 characterised by electric heating
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 7/10 Cooling bags, e.g. ice-bags

Abstract

A cooling device for removing heat from subcutaneous lipid-rich cells of a subject having skin is provided. The cooling device includes a support having a first portion and a second portion. A first cooling element having a first heat exchanging surface is located at the first portion of the support. A second cooling element having a second heat exchanging surface is located at the second portion of the support. At least one of the first and second cooling elements is movable along the support and is configured to rotate for adjusting an angle between the first and second heat exchanging surfaces.

Claims

1. A device for affecting subcutaneous lipid-rich cells via cooling, comprising:

a first cooling element having a first heat exchanging surface to remove heat from the lipid-rich cells;

a second cooling element having a second heat exchanging surface to remove heat from the lipid-rich cells; and

a handheld assembly having a handhold configured to be grasped by a hand of an operator and a support extending from the handhold, wherein the first and second cooling elements are coupled to the support such that at least one of the first and second cooling elements is movable with respect to the support.

2. The cooling device of claim 1, wherein the support comprises a beam and a shaft supported by the beam, and the shaft being guided for displacement relative to the beam, wherein the first and second cooling elements are slidably coupled to the shaft.

3. The cooling device of claim 1, further comprising an actuator proximate to the handhold, wherein the actuator is configured to move the shaft in a clamping direction to displace the first and second cooling elements relative to each other.

4. The cooling device of claim 3, wherein the actuator further comprises a lever.

5. The cooling device of claim 1, further comprising a lock attached to the support for fixing the first and second cooling elements with respect to each other.

6. The cooling device of claim 1, wherein the first and second heat exchanging surfaces each include a first part having a first material with a first thermal conductivity and a second part having a second material with a second thermal conductivity generally less than the first thermal conductivity.

7. The cooling device of claim 1, wherein the first cooling element further comprises a fluid chamber in thermal communication with the first heat exchanging surface.

8. The cooling device of claim 1, wherein the first cooling element further comprises a housing, a fluid chamber in the housing, and a thermoelectric cooling element in the fluid chamber and in thermal communication with the first heat exchanging surface.

9. A method of applying a cooling device having two cooling elements rotatable relative to each other, the cooling elements having heat exchanging surfaces for removing heat from a subject having skin, comprising:

(i) rotating at least one of the cooling elements to achieve a desired orientation between the two heat exchanging surfaces;

(ii) cooling the heat exchanging surfaces of the two cooling elements to a desired temperature;

(iii) placing the cooled heat exchanging surfaces in the desired orientation relative to the skin of the subject; and

(iv) reducing a temperature of a region under the epidermis of the patient such that lipid-rich cells in the region are affected while non-lipid-rich cells in the epidermis are not affected.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the desired temperature is between about −

20°

C. to about 10°

C.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising maintaining the heat exchanging surfaces of the two cooling elements at the desired temperature.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein placing the cooled surfaces of the two cooling elements relative to the skin of the subject comprises clamping the skin between the two cooling elements.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein placing the cooled surfaces of the two cooling elements relative to the skin of the subject comprises pressing a region of the skin with the two cooling elements to apply a pressure greater than or equal to a systolic blood pressure in the skin.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein one the cooling elements includes a sensing element, and wherein the method further comprises monitoring an operating parameter via the sensing element.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the sensing element is a temperature sensing element and the operating parameter is a temperature, and wherein the method further comprises adjusting a heat removal rate from at least one of the two cooling elements based on the monitored temperature.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein one of the cooling elements includes a thermoelectric cooling element in thermal communication with a corresponding heat exchanging surface, and wherein cooling the heat exchanging surfaces comprises applying a voltage to the thermoelectric cooling element to remove heat from the corresponding heat exchanging surface.

17. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

terminating temperature reduction of the region by removing the cooling elements from the region; and

repeating stages (i)-(iv) until a desired reduction in lipid-rich cells of the region is achieved.

18. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

affecting lipid-rich cells of a first region of the subject by performing stages (i)-(iv) at the first region; and

affecting lipid-rich cells of a second region of the subject by performing stages (i)-(iv) at the second region.

19. A method of applying a handheld cooling device configured to be grasped by a hand of an operator, the cooling device having two cooling elements configured for removing heat from subcutaneous lipid-rich cells, comprising:

(i) positioning the two cooling elements relative to each other;

(ii) cooling heat exchanging surfaces of the two cooling elements to a desired temperature;

(iii) holding the cooling device by a hand;

(iv) placing the cooling device such that the cooled heat exchanging surfaces are proximate to the skin of a subject; and

(v) reducing a temperature of a region under the epidermis of the subject such that lipid-rich cells in the region of the skin are affected while non-lipid-rich cells in the epidermis are not affected.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein placing the cooled surfaces of the two cooling elements comprises clamping the skin between the two cooling elements.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein placing the cooled surfaces of the two cooling elements comprises pressing the two cooling elements against the skin to apply a pressure greater than or equal to a systolic blood pressure in skin.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the handheld cooling device further comprises an actuator for adjusting a clamping pressure between the two cooling elements, and wherein clamping the subject'"'"'s skin further comprises adjusting the clamping pressure between the two cooling elements with the actuator.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein positioning the two cooling elements comprises moving the two cooling elements in at least one of (a) a direction linearly relative to each other and (b) rotatable relative to each other, and wherein placing the cooling device further comprises adjusting at least one of the two cooling elements to generally conform to a body contour of the subject.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein one of the cooling elements includes a thermoelectric cooling element in thermal communication with a corresponding heat exchanging surface, and wherein cooling the heat exchanging surfaces comprises applying a voltage to the thermoelectric cooling element to remove heat from a corresponding heat exchanging surface.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein at least one of the cooling elements further comprises a fluid chamber in thermal communication with the thermoelectric cooling element, wherein the method further comprises circulating a coolant through the fluid chamber.

26. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

terminating temperature reduction of the region by removing the cooling device from the region; and

repeating stages (i)-(v) until a desired reduction in lipid-rich cells of the region is achieved.

27. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

affecting lipid-rich cells of a first region of the subject by performing stages (i)-(v) at the first region; and

affecting lipid-rich cells of a second region of the subject by performing stages (i)-(v) at the second region.

28. A system for removing heat from subcutaneous lipid-rich cells, comprising:

a cooling device having two rotatable cooling elements configured to reduce a temperature of a target region under the epidermis of the subject to reduce the temperature of lipid-rich cells in the region such that the lipid-rich cells are affected while non-lipid-rich cells in the epidermis are not affected; and

a heat sink coupled to the cooling device to dissipate heat generated by the cooling device.

29. The system of claim 28, further comprising a cooling unit in thermal communication with the heat sink and configured for providing a coolant to the cooling device.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the coolant source is a thermoelectric cooler, a refrigeration unit, a cooling tower, and/or a cryogenic cooler.

31. The system of claim 29, further comprising a fluid line between the cooling unit and the cooling device such that the cooling device is in fluid communication with the cooling unit.

32. The system of claim 29, wherein the coolant includes water, glycol, a synthetic heat transfer fluid, oil, and/or a refrigerant.

33. The system of claim 29, wherein the cooling device further comprises a sensing element proximal to at least one of the heat exchanging surfaces, and wherein the system further comprises:

a processor in electrical communication to the sensing element and configured to convert electrical signals from the sensing element into an operating parameter; and

a database electrically connected to the processor to store the operating parameter.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the processor includes a control module for controlling the temperature of the region based on the operating parameter.

35. The system of claim 28, wherein at least one of the cooling elements includes a thermoelectric cooling element in thermal communication with a corresponding heat exchanging surface.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein at least one of the cooling elements further comprises a housing and a fluid chamber disposed in the housing and in thermal communication with the thermoelectric cooling element.

37. A system for removing heat from subcutaneous lipid-rich cells, comprising:

a portable cooling device having a first cooling element including a first heat exchanging surface, a second cooling element including a second heat exchanging surface, a handheld assembly having a handhold configured to be grasped by a hand of an operator, and a support extending from the handhold, wherein the first and second cooling elements are coupled to the support such that at least one of the first and second cooling elements is movable with respect to the support, and wherein the cooling device is configured for reducing a temperature of lipid-rich cells in a region of a subject such that the lipid-rich cells are affected while non-lipid-rich cells at the epidermis are not affected; and

a heat sink coupled to the cooling device to dissipate heat generated by the cooling device.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein the first cooling element further comprises a first fluid chamber in thermal communication with the first heat exchanging surface, and wherein the second cooling element further comprises a second fluid chamber in thermal communication with the second heat exchanging surface.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein the first cooling element includes a first housing and a first thermoelectric cooling element in thermal communication with the first heat exchanging surface and forming the first fluid chamber with the first housing, and wherein the second cooling element includes a second housing and a second thermoelectric cooling element in thermal communication with the second heat exchanging surface and forming the second fluid chamber with the second housing.

40. The system of claim 37, further comprising:

a cooling unit in thermal communication with the heat sink and configured for providing a coolant to the cooling device;

a plurality of fluid lines between the cooling unit and the cooling device; and

a coolant circulated between the cooling unit and the fluid chamber via the plurality of fluid lines to remove heat from the first and second heat exchanging surfaces.

41. The system of claim 37, wherein the cooling device further comprises a sensing element proximate to the first or second heat exchanging surface, and wherein the system further comprises:

a processor in electrical communication to the sensing element to convert electrical signals from the sensing element into an operating parameter, wherein the processor is configured to adjust a heat removal rate from the region based on the operating parameter; and

a database electrically connected to the processor to store the operating parameter.