Patent · US Expired

Therapeutic hypothermia instrument

US4483341A · kind A · utility

300Cited by
10References
11Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateDec 9, 1982
Grant dateNov 20, 1984
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 9, 2002

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY02B30/00
  • WIPO fieldMedical technology
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An implantable hypothermia instrument for the in-situ treatment of oncological disorders includes a cylindrical casing terminating at a first end in a concave tumor-abutting portion of a thermoconductive material which is thermally adjacent the cold junction of a cascaded three-component solid state cooler and shaped to partially surround the target tissue in order to provide a convergent freezing effect. The cooler comprises a thermoelectric first cooling section, a thermomagnetic second cooling section and an Ettingshausen third cooling section connected thermally in parallel to afford a stepped temperature reduction across a wide thermal gradient and to provide a temperature level, freezing rate and repetitive freeze/thaw cycles sufficient for tumor necrosis.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.