Intravascular heat exchange catheter with multiple spaced apart discrete coolant loops

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.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A catheter, comprising:
 a proximal segment having at least one lumen configured to receive working fluid from a heat exchange system; and   a distal segment in fluid communication with the proximal segment and defining plural spaced apart discrete loops, the plural spaced apart discrete loops communicating with the 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 loop lumen through which the working fluid can flow and an 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 shaft, wherein at least some loops of the plural spaced apart discrete loops define a respective proximal surface of the respective wall 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. 
     
     
         4 . A catheter, comprising:
 a proximal segment having a supply lumen configured to receive working fluid from a heat exchange system; and   a distal segment in fluid communication with the proximal segment and defining plural spaced apart loops, at least a first loop having a supply port to receive working fluid from a first side of a divider in the supply lumen and a return port to permit working fluid to reenter the supply lumen on a second side of the divider, a separator being situated between the supply port and return port.   
     
     
         5 . The catheter of  claim 4 , wherein the supply port is located at a proximal side of a base of the first loop and the return port is located at a distal side of the base of the first loop. 
     
     
         6 . The catheter of  claim 5 , wherein a distal-most loop different from the first loop includes a return port connected to a return lumen to convey working fluid proximally back to the heat exchange system. 
     
     
         7 . The catheter of  claim 4 , wherein the supply port is radially offset from the return port. 
     
     
         8 . The catheter of  claim 4 , wherein the supply port is axially staggered from the return port and the divider in the supply lumen extends axially through the supply lumen. 
     
     
         9 . The catheter of  claim 8 , wherein distal and proximal surfaces of the first loop are parallel to each other and angled slightly from being absolutely transverse to a long axis of the catheter owing to axial offset of the supply port from the return port. 
     
     
         10 . The catheter of  claim 4 , wherein the first loop is oriented perpendicular to a long axis of the catheter. 
     
     
         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 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 for 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.   
     
     
         12 . The catheter of  claim 11 , wherein the loops when inflated are toroidal-shaped. 
     
     
         13 . The catheter of  claim 11 , wherein the loops when inflated are disk-shaped. 
     
     
         14 . The catheter of  claim 11 , wherein at least a first loop has a supply port to receive working fluid from a first side of a divider in the supply lumen and a return port to permit working fluid to reenter the supply lumen on a second side of the divider, a separator being situated between the supply port and return port. 
     
     
         15 . The catheter of  claim 14 , wherein the supply port is located at a proximal side of a base of the first loop and the return port is located at a distal side of the base of the first loop. 
     
     
         16 . The catheter of  claim 15 , wherein a distal-most loop different from the first loop includes a return port connected to a return lumen to convey working fluid proximally back to the heat exchange system. 
     
     
         17 . The catheter of  claim 14 , wherein the supply port is radially offset from the return port. 
     
     
         18 . The catheter of  claim 14 , wherein the supply port is axially staggered from the return port and the divider in the supply lumen extends axially through the supply lumen. 
     
     
         19 . The catheter of  claim 18 , wherein distal and proximal surfaces of the first loop are parallel to each other and angled slightly from being absolutely transverse to a long axis of the catheter owing to axial offset of the supply port from the return port. 
     
     
         20 . A device comprising:
 a shaft with a supply lumen configured for fluid communication with a heat exchange system and a 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 an 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, the supply port being separated from the respective return port, each loop being connected to an adjacent loop by at least one of: the supply lumen, or the return lumen.