Closed loop catheter coolant system
US6383180B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 24, 2000 |
| Grant date | May 7, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 24, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61F7/12
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A coolant system for a cryoablation or treatment probe such as a mapping or ablation catheter, or a treatment wand, includes a compressor and condenser having a low pressure inlet side and a high pressure outlet side, wherein the outlet side passes through a heat exchanger and is cooled by the inlet side and conditioned for injection to a catheter inlet. A vacuum return system connectable to the catheter outlet draws thermally expended coolant from the catheter and returns it to the low pressure inlet side. A motorized pressure regulator between the heat exchanger and the catheter inlet determines the pressure of coolant passing into the catheter and thus regulates the cooling rate for a selected mapping or ablation regimen. The low pressure compressor inlet supply preferentially conditions the pressurized coolant to ambient temperature or lower before injection into the catheter, allowing the coolant to travel through the body at ambient before expansion in the tip. In a preferred embodiment, a coolant reservoir feeds into the low pressure inlet side and receives a return flow of excess fluid from a branch off the outlet side of the compressor. The vacuum return assures that coola…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.