HEATING/COOLING SYSTEM FOR INDWELLING HEAT EXCHANGE CATHETER

• US 20120325426A1
• Filed: 09/04/2012
• Published: 12/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zoll Circulation Incorporated (Asahi Kasei Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Zoll Circulation Incorporated (Asahi Kasei Corporation)
• Inventors: Noda, Wayne A., Stelea, Stelica
• Granted Patent: US 8,790,304 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 165/11.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0054 with a closed fluid circuit, e.g. hot water
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0093 programmed
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0096 with a thermometer
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/126 for invasive application, e.g. for introducing into blood vessels
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 7/0085 Devices for generating hot or cold treatment fluids
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 7/12 Devices for heating or cooling internal body cavities
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 15/0069 Magnetic couplings
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 2/18 with similar tooth forms F04C2/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 29/0064 Magnetic couplings
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 13/024 a magnetic coupling
• CPC Class Codes: F04D 29/606 Mounting in cavities
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2400/01 Heaters
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2600/0253 with variable speed
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2700/1351 of the cooled fluid upstream or downstream of the evaporator
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 17/02 for circulating liquids, e.g. brine

Abstract

A cooling system for an indwelling heat exchange catheter includes a heat exchange bath that is configured to receive a conduit that carries saline to and from the catheter. A heating/cooling fluid is in the bath and exchanges heat with the saline. The heating/cooling fluid flows through a heat exchanger that includes a refrigerant and two variable speed DC compressor for removing heat from the refrigerant. A gear pump circulates the working fluid to and from the catheter and is removably engaged with a pump support platform.

Claims

1-22. -22. (canceled)

23. A heat exchange system for an indwelling closed loop heat exchange catheter, comprising:

a conduit configured to carry working fluid to and from the catheter; and

a flow detector in communication with the conduit for detecting when working fluid is flowing through the conduit, wherein the flow detector comprises;

a clear housing; and

a paddle wheel rotatably disposed therein.

24. The system of claim 23 comprising at least three infrared transmitter/receiver light emitting diode pairs, each infrared transmitter/receiver light emitting diode pair establishing a signal path through the housing.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein at least one of the infrared transmitter/receiver light emitting diode pairs outputs a signal representing motion of the paddle wheel.

26. The system of claim 23, wherein the peddle wheel comprises:

at least three paddles.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the three paddles are arranged such that one of the signal paths established by the infrared transmitter/receiver light emitting diode pairs is always unblocked by the paddles.

28. The system of claim 24, wherein the infrared transmitter/receiver light emitting diode pairs are arranged relative to the paddle wheel such that one of the signal paths established by the infrared transmitter/receiver light emitting diode pairs is always unblocked by the paddle wheel.

29. The system of claim 24, further comprising:

a processor connected to the infrared transmitter/receiver light emitting diode pairs, the processor including a program for detecting when fluid is flowing through the flow detector based on signals from the infrared transmitter/receiver light emitting diode pairs.

30. The system of claim 26, wherein the paddles are positioned around a hub one hundred and twenty degrees (120°

) from each other.

31. The system of claim 23, wherein the conduit includes a coil.

32. The system of claim 23, comprising a plastic saline housing in fluid communication with the conduit, the plastic saline housing not being an IV bag.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the plastic saline housing is part of a saline level detector.

34. The system of claim 30, wherein the conduit includes a coil.

35. A heat exchanger comprising:

at least one computer readable storage medium; and

at least one processor configured to execute instructions on the computer readable storage medium to undertake logic comprising;

determining whether pulses from a flow detector of the heat exchanger are being received;

responsive to a determination that pulses are being received, determining whether a timer has expired; and

responsive to a determination that the timer has expired, returning an error message; and

responsive to a determination that pulses are not being received, returning an error message.

36. The heat exchanger of claim 35, wherein the pulses represent motion of a paddle wheel through light beams.

37. The heat exchanger of claim 36, wherein the light beams are established by light emitting diodes in the heat exchanger.

38. The heat exchanger of claim 35, wherein the logic further comprises:

responsive to a determination that pulses are not present, determining whether plural light emitting diode (LED)/infrared transmitter (IRT) pairs are energized;

responsive to a determination that all LED/IRT pairs are energized, determining whether all LED/IRT pairs are operating properly.

39. The heat exchanger of claim 38, wherein the logic when executed by the processor further includes determining whether all LED/IRT pairs are operating properly at least in part by sequentially toggling the LED/IRT pairs on and off.

40. The heat exchanger of claim 38, wherein the logic when executed by the processor further includes responsive to a determination that all LED/IRT pairs are energized, determining whether a subset of the LED/IRT pairs are energized.

41. The heat exchanger of claim 40, wherein the logic when executed by the processor further includes responsive to a determination that the subset of the LED/IRT pairs are energized, determining whether signal pulses are present.

42. The heat exchanger of claim 35, wherein the logic when executed by the processor further includes responsive to a determination that pulses are being received, determining whether all of plural light emitting diode (LED)/infrared transmitter (IRT) pairs are energized.

43. A heat exchanger comprising:

at least one computer readable storage medium; and

at least one processor configured to execute instructions on the computer readable storage medium to undertake logic comprising;

periodically energizing a heater of the heat exchange system;

determining whether an increase in temperature satisfying a threshold is indicated;

responsive to a determination that an increase in temperature satisfying a threshold is indicated, returning a message indicating an error in circulation of a glycol circuit of the heat exchanger.

44. The heat exchanger of claim 43, wherein the logic when executed by the processor further includes responsive to a determination that an increase in temperature satisfying a threshold is indicated, deenergizing the heater.