Treatment systems, small volume applicators, and methods for treating submental tissue

Abstract

Systems for treating a subject's tissue can include a thermally conductive cup, a tissue-receiving cavity, and a vacuum port. The vacuum port is in fluid communication with the tissue-receiving cavity to provide a vacuum for drawing the submental tissue, or other targeted tissue, into the tissue-receiving cavity. A thermal device can cool and/or heat the conductive cup such that the conductive cup non-invasively controls the temperature of subcutaneous lipid-rich cells in the tissue. A restraint apparatus can hold a the conductive cup in thermal contact with the target region.

1 - 21 . (canceled) 
     
     
         22 . An apparatus for treating a subject's tissue, the apparatus comprising:
 a vacuum source;   a vacuum applicator configured to be in fluid communication with the vacuum source and including
 a thermally conductive cup defining at least a portion of a tissue-receiving cavity and including a vacuum port and a bottom surface surrounding the vacuum port, and 
 a thermal device configured to be in thermal contact with the subject's tissue in the tissue-receiving cavity when the subject's tissue is held in the vacuum applicator; and 
   a controller in communication with the vacuum applicator and programmed to (a) cause the thermal device to operate to cool the thermally conductive cup to keep an entire skin-contact area of the thermally conductive cup at a temperature below −5 degrees C. for a treatment segment of at least 5 minutes and (b) cause the vacuum source to draw a vacuum to hold a subject's tissue such that the subject's tissue fills substantially the entire tissue-receiving cavity and lays flush against the entire bottom surface facing the subject's tissue.   
     
     
         23 . The apparatus of  claim 22 , wherein the vacuum port is an elongated slot extending along most of a longitudinal length of the tissue-receiving cavity. 
     
     
         24 . The apparatus of  claim 22 , wherein the vacuum port is an elongated vacuum port, wherein the thermally conductive cup includes one or more additional vacuum ports spaced apart from the elongated vacuum port. 
     
     
         25 . The apparatus of  claim 22 , wherein the vacuum applicator includes at least one temperature sensor, wherein the controller has instructions for causing the thermal device to cool the thermally conductive cup based on output from the at least one temperature sensor such that the vacuum applicator non-invasively cools the subcutaneous lipid-rich cells of the subject's tissue in the tissue-receiving cavity to a temperature less than about 0° C. 
     
     
         26 . The apparatus of  claim 22 , wherein the controller is programmed to monitor operation of the apparatus based on tissue draw. 
     
     
         27 . The apparatus of  claim 22 , wherein the vacuum applicator includes one or more temperature sensors, wherein the controller is programmed to monitor tissue treatment based on output from one or more temperature sensors. 
     
     
         28 . The apparatus of  claim 22 , wherein the controller is programmed to cause the apparatus to operate to pull the subject's tissue against the entire bottom surface. 
     
     
         29 . An apparatus for treating a subject's tissue, the apparatus comprising:
 a vacuum applicator configured to be in fluid communication with a vacuum source and including
 a thermal device configured to be in thermal contact with a subject's tissue held in the vacuum applicator, and 
 a thermally conductive cup defining at least a portion of an elongated tissue-receiving cavity, a vacuum port, and a bottom surface at a bottom of the elongated tissue-receiving cavity, wherein the vacuum port is located at the bottom of the elongated tissue-receiving cavity such that the subject's skin fills substantially the entire elongated tissue-receiving cavity and is held in thermal contact with the entire length of the bottom surface being cooled by the thermal device when a vacuum is applied via the vacuum port. 
   
     
     
         30 . The apparatus of  claim 29 , wherein the vacuum port includes an elongated slot extending along most of a longitudinal length of the elongated tissue-receiving cavity. 
     
     
         31 . The apparatus of  claim 29 , further comprising a vacuum source configured to be coupled to the vacuum applicator and provide suction to hold the subject's skin flush against the entire bottom surface facing the subject's tissue during for at least 5 minutes. 
     
     
         32 . The apparatus of  claim 29 , further comprising a controller in communication with the vacuum applicator and programmed to cause the thermal device to operate to cool the thermally conductive cup to keep an entire skin-contact area of the thermally conductive cup at a temperature below −5 degrees C. for at least 5 minutes. 
     
     
         33 . The apparatus of  claim 29 , further including
 an elongated vacuum port.   
     
     
         34 . The apparatus of  claim 29 , further comprising an additional vacuum port through which air is drawn to pull the tissue into the tissue-receiving cavity. 
     
     
         35 . The apparatus of  claim 29 , further comprising a controller programmed to monitor operation of the apparatus based on target tissue draw into the vacuum applicator. 
     
     
         36 . The apparatus of  claim 29 , wherein the vacuum applicator includes:
 one or more temperature sensors, and   a controller programmed to monitor treatment based on output from the one or more temperature sensors.   
     
     
         37 . The apparatus of  claim 29 , further comprising a controller programmed to cause the apparatus to operate to fill the entire elongated tissue-receiving cavity.