Intravascular heat exchange catheter with multiple spaced apart discrete coolant loops

• US 9,241,827 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2012
• Issued: 01/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zoll Circulation Incorporated (Asahi Kasei Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Zoll Circulation Incorporated (Asahi Kasei Corporation)
• Inventors: Lim, Alex L., Gurukula, Venkata Vishnu, Mafi, Masouneh
• Primary Examiner(s): Dvorak, Linda
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ekrami, Yasamin
• Application Number:
  US13/653,648
• Publication Number:
  US 20140094880A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,196 Days
• Field of Search: 607104-106
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0054 with a closed fluid circuit, e.g. hot water
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0056 for cooling
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2007/0091 inflatable
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 7/123 using a flexible balloon containing the thermal element

Abstract

A catheter has a series of hollow loops arranged along a tube for carrying working fluid from a heat exchange system to exchange heat with a patient in whom the catheter is advanced. The loops when inflated are transverse to the catheter axis and parallel to each other, and circumscribe a hollow passageway through which blood can flow. Blood also flows around the outer perimeters of the loops.

Claims

1. A catheter, comprising:

a proximal segment having a supply lumen configured to receive working fluid from a heat exchange system and a return lumen configured to return the working fluid to the heat exchange system; and

a distal segment in fluid communication with the proximal segment and defining plural spaced apart discrete loops, each of the plural spaced apart discrete loops communicating with the supply lumen and each being connected to an adjacent loop of the plural spaced apart discrete loops by a connector segment, each loop of the plural spaced apart discrete loops having, when inflated, a wall enclosing a respective lumen through which the working fluid can flow and a central opening formed by the wall through which fluid external to the catheter can flow, the plural spaced apart discrete loops being connected together by a single shaft, wherein at least some of the loops when inflated are toroidal-shaped or disk-shaped, wherein each loop of the plural spaced apart discrete loops defines a proximal surface and a distal surface parallel to the proximal surface and oriented perpendicular to a long axis of the shaft.

2. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the plural spaced apart discrete loops when inflated are toroidal-shaped.

3. The catheter of claim 1, wherein the plural spaced apart discrete loops when inflated are disk-shaped.

5. The catheter of claim 1, wherein at least one loop of the plural spaced apart discrete loops includes a supply port communicating with the supply lumen and a fluid channel defined by the at least one loop of the plural spaced apart discrete loops and a return port communicating with the return lumen and with the fluid channel, such that the working fluid circulates through the fluid channel from the supply port to the return port.

6. The catheter of claim 5, wherein the supply and return ports are proximate to each other and straddle a separator such that the working fluid must flow from the supply port substantially completely through the fluid channel to the return port.

7. The catheter of claim 1, wherein each loop of the plural spaced apart discrete loops is connected to a return tube communicating with the return lumen of the proximal segment.

4. A catheter, comprising:

a proximal segment having a supply lumen configured to receive working fluid from a heat exchange system and a return lumen configured to return the working fluid to the heat exchange system; and

a distal segment in fluid communication with the proximal segment and defining plural spaced apart discrete loops, each of the plural spaced apart discrete loops communicating with the supply lumen and each of the plural spaced apart discrete loops being connected to an adjacent loop by a connector segment, each of the plural spaced apart discrete loops having, when inflated, a wall enclosing a respective lumen through which the working fluid can flow and a central opening formed by the wall through which fluid external to the catheter can flow, the loops of the plural spaced apart discrete loops being connected together by a single shaft,

wherein the loops when inflated with working fluid are rectangular-shaped.

8. A catheter comprising:

loops arranged along a tube for carrying working fluid from a heat exchange system, wherein the loops, when inflated, are oriented perpendicular to a long axis of the catheter throughout respective closed outer peripheries, and are oriented parallel to each other, and circumscribe a hollow passageway through which blood can flow, the loops being configured such that blood also can flow around the closed outer peripheries of the loops, the loops receiving the working fluid from a supply lumen of a shaft, the supply lumen extending from a proximal segment of the shaft to a supply port of a first one of the loops located most proximally and then again between a return port of the first loop to a supply port of second one of the loops that is located more distally than the first loop, wherein at least some of the loops when inflated are toroidal-shaped or disk-shaped.

9. The catheter of claim 8, wherein the loops when inflated are toroidal-shaped.

10. The catheter of claim 8, wherein the loops when inflated are disk-shaped.

12. The catheter of claim 8, wherein each loop includes a supply port communicating with a supply lumen defined by the catheter and a fluid channel defined by the loop and a return port communicating with the fluid channel, such that the working fluid circulates through the fluid channel from the supply port to the return port.

13. The catheter of claim 12, wherein the supply and return ports are proximate to each other and straddle a separator such that the working fluid must flow from the supply port substantially completely through the fluid channel to the return port.

14. The catheter of claim 8, wherein each loop is connected to a return tube communicating with a return lumen of a proximal segment.

15. The catheter of claim 14, wherein each loop defines a proximal surface and a distal surface parallel to the proximal surface and oriented transversely to a long axis of the return tube.

11. A catheter comprising:

loops arranged along a tube for carrying working fluid from a heat exchange system, wherein the loops when inflated are oriented transverse to a long axis of the catheter throughout respective closed outer peripheries, and are oriented parallel to each other, and circumscribe a hollow passageway through which blood can flow, the loops being configured such that blood also can flow around the outer peripheries of the loops, the loops receiving the working fluid from a supply lumen of a shaft, the supply lumen extending from a proximal segment of the shaft to a supply port of a first loop located most proximally and then again between a return port of the first loop to a supply port of second loop located more distally than the first loop,

wherein the loops when inflated are rectangular-shaped.

16. A device comprising:

a shaft with a straight supply lumen configured for fluid communication with a heat exchange system and a straight return lumen configured for communicating with the heat exchange system; and

loops coupled to the shaft and fluidly communicating with the supply lumen with a fluid communication path being defined through the loops, the loops being spaced from each other along a longitudinal dimension defined by the shaft, each loop having a wall enclosing a respective lumen and a central opening formed by the wall through which fluid external to the catheter can flow, wherein each loop is formed with a respective supply port and a respective return port communicating with the respective lumen of the loop, each loop configured for fluidly communicating with the supply lumen and for fluidly communicating with the return lumen, the supply port being separated from the respective return port, each loop being physically connected to an adjacent loop by at least one of;

the straight supply lumen, the straight return lumen.