Claims
- 1. A device for heating or cooling a surrounding fluid in a feeding vessel, comprising:
a catheter assembly capable of insertion to a selected feeding vessel in the vascular system of a patient, including:
a heat transfer element at a distal end of the catheter assembly, the heat transfer element having a plurality of exterior surface irregularities shaped and arranged to create turbulence in a surrounding fluid, the surface irregularities having a depth at least equal to the boundary layer thickness of flow of the surrounding fluid in the feeding vessel; a supply catheter to deliver a working fluid to an interior of the heat transfer element; a return catheter to return a working fluid from the interior of the heat transfer element; and a drug delivery catheter running substantially parallel to the axis of the catheter assembly.
- 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the drug delivery catheter is disposed substantially coaxially with respect to the supply catheter.
- 3. The device of claim 2, wherein the drug delivery catheter includes an outlet at a distal end thereof, the distal end of the drug delivery catheter distal of a distal end of the return or supply catheters.
- 4. The device of claim 1, wherein the drug delivery catheter is disposed within one of the return catheter or the supply catheter or both.
- 5. The device of claim 4, wherein the drug delivery catheter includes an outlet transverse to the axis of the catheter assembly.
- 6. The device of claim 1, wherein:
the surface irregularities comprise a helical ridge and a helical groove formed on each of successive heat transfer segments; and the helical ridge on each heat transfer segment has an opposite helical twist to the helical ridges on adjacent heat transfer segments.
- 7. The device of claim 1, further comprising at least one sealed lumen within one of the return catheter or the supply catheter or both, the sealed lumen in pressure communication with a supply of air to inflate the sealed lumen.
- 8. The device of claim 1, wherein the return catheter is coaxial with the supply catheter, and the return catheter has a larger radius than the supply catheter.
- 9. The device of claim 1, wherein the return catheter is coaxial with the supply catheter, and the return catheter has a smaller radius than the supply catheter.
- 10. A device for heating or cooling a surrounding fluid in a feeding vessel, comprising:
a catheter assembly capable of insertion to a selected feeding vessel in the vascular system of a patient, including:
a heat transfer element at a distal end of the catheter assembly, the heat transfer element having a plurality of exterior surface irregularities shaped and arranged to create turbulence in a surrounding fluid, the surface irregularities having a depth at least equal to the boundary layer thickness of flow of the surrounding fluid in the feeding vessel, a distal end of the heat transfer element defining an orifice; a supply catheter to deliver a working fluid to an interior of the heat transfer element, the supply catheter having a working fluid catheter disposed therein and further having disposed therein a drug delivery catheter running substantially parallel to the axis of the supply catheter, the working fluid catheter having defined thereon a number of outlets to communicate the working fluid from the interior of the supply catheter to a volume defined by the exterior of the supply catheter and the interior of the heat transfer element; and a return catheter to return the working fluid from the interior of the heat transfer element.
- 11. A method for selectively controlling the temperature of a selected volume of blood in a patient, comprising:
introducing a catheter assembly into a blood vessel feeding a selected volume of blood in a patient; delivering a working fluid through a supply catheter in the catheter assembly and returning the working fluid through a return catheter in the catheter assembly; transferring heat between a heat transfer element forming a distal end of the catheter assembly and the volume of blood in the feeding vessel; delivering a liquid through a drug delivery catheter to the volume of blood in the feeding vessel.
- 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising creating turbulence around a plurality of surface irregularities on the heat transfer element at a distance from the heat transfer element greater than the boundary layer thickness of flow in the feeding vessel, thereby creating turbulence throughout a free stream of blood flow in the feeding vessel.
- 13. The method of claim 12, wherein:
the surface irregularities on the heat transfer element comprise a plurality of segments of helical ridges and grooves having alternating directions of helical rotation; and turbulence is created by establishing repetitively alternating directions of helical blood flow with the alternating helical rotations of the ridges and grooves.
- 14. The method of claim 11, wherein the liquid is a warm enzyme solution.
- 15. The method of claim 14, where the warm enzyme solution is selected from the group consisting of tPA, streptokinase, urokinase, pro-urokinase, and combinations thereof.
- 16. The method of claim 11, further comprising delivering air to at least one sealed lumen within the return catheter to cause the sealed lumen to enlarge.
- 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising delivering air in a pulsatile fashion to the at least one sealed lumen within the return catheter to cause the sealed lumen to repeatedly enlarge and contract.
- 18. The method of claim 11, further comprising delivering the liquid to the volume in a longitudinal direction with respect to the axis of the catheter assembly.
- 19. The method of claim 11, further comprising delivering the liquid to the volume in a transverse direction with respect to the axis of the catheter assembly.
- 20. The method of claim 18, further comprising delivering the liquid to the volume distal of the distal tip of the catheter assembly.
- 21. The method of claim 20, wherein the volume of blood includes a blood clot, and during the delivering the liquid the distal tip of the catheter assembly is substantially near, adjacent, or embedded in the blood clot.
- 22. The method of claim 18, further comprising delivering the liquid proximal of the distal tip of the catheter assembly.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This is a continuation-in-part patent application of co-pending U.S. Patent Applications Ser. No. 09/103,342, filed on Jun. 23, 1998, and entitled “Selective Organ Cooling Catheter and Method of Using the Same”; Ser. No. 09/052,545, filed on Mar.31, 1998, and entitled “Circulating Fluid Hypothermia Method and Apparatus”; Ser. No. 09/047,012, filed on Mar. 24, 1998, and entitled “Improved Selective Organ Hypothermia Method and Apparatus”; Ser. No. 09/215,038, filed on Dec. 16, 1998, and entitled “An Inflatable Catheter for Selective Organ Heating and Cooling and Method of Using the Same”; Ser. No. 09/215,039, filed on Dec. 16, 1998, and entitled “Method for Low Temperature Thrombolysis and Low Temperature Thrombolytic Agent with Selective Organ Control”; Ser. No. 09/232,177, filed on Jan. 15, 1999, and entitled “Method and Apparatus for Location and Temperature Specific Drug Action such as Thrombolysis”, the entirety of each being incorporated by reference herein.
Continuation in Parts (6)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09103342 |
Jun 1998 |
US |
Child |
09246788 |
Feb 1999 |
US |
Parent |
09052545 |
Mar 1998 |
US |
Child |
09246788 |
Feb 1999 |
US |
Parent |
09047012 |
Mar 1998 |
US |
Child |
09246788 |
Feb 1999 |
US |
Parent |
09215038 |
Dec 1998 |
US |
Child |
09246788 |
Feb 1999 |
US |
Parent |
09215039 |
Dec 1998 |
US |
Child |
09246788 |
Feb 1999 |
US |
Parent |
09232177 |
Jan 1999 |
US |
Child |
09246788 |
Feb 1999 |
US |