Method for maintaining sterile slush
First Claim
1. The method of providing a slush phase of a sterile medium in a container for use during a surgical procedure, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) in a selectively actuable refrigeration mode, cooling said container to a temperature substantially below the freezing temperature of said sterile medium; and
(b) in a selectively actuable maintain mode, maintaining said container substantially at the freezing temperature of said sterile medium.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Sterile surgical slush is maintained at substantially its freezing temperature to prevent both melting and formation of solid ice pieces. The slush is initially formed in a refrigeration mode wherein a basin containing sterile fluid medium is cooled to well below the freezing temperature of the medium to thereby rapidly lower the medium temperature. Upon formation of the slush the system is placed in a maintain mode wherein the container temperature is kept at the freezing temperature of the medium. In the preferred embodiment the maintain mode is effected by electrically energizing one or more thermoelectric modules and deenergizing a refrigeration system in which the refrigerant fluid is passed through an evaporator disposed in thermal energy transfer relation to the basin. In alternative embodiments the refrigeration system itself is controlled to keep the container temperature at the freezing point during the maintain mode.
59 Citations
13 Claims
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1. The method of providing a slush phase of a sterile medium in a container for use during a surgical procedure, said method comprising the steps of:
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(a) in a selectively actuable refrigeration mode, cooling said container to a temperature substantially below the freezing temperature of said sterile medium; and (b) in a selectively actuable maintain mode, maintaining said container substantially at the freezing temperature of said sterile medium. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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Specification