Patent ID: 8647374
Filing Date: 2014-02-11
Classification: A61B,A61F

Abstract:
1. A patient temperature control system comprising: a) a fluid circuit for conveying warming/cooling fluid to a patient warming/cooling device, the patient warming/cooling device capable of being non-invasively applied to a patient for conductive warming/cooling of the patient according to a hypo-hyperthermia treatment; b) a controller operatively connected to the fluid circuit to control the flow and the temperature of the warming/cooling fluid there through; c) a first temperature sensor adapted to sense the temperature of the patient and operatively connected to the controller; d) a second temperature sensor adapted to sense the temperature of the warming/cooling fluid and operatively connected to the controller; e) the controller adapted to warm the warming/cooling fluid being conveyed to the warming/cooling device, thereby to conductively warm the patient in a non-invasive manner when the first sensor senses a patient temperature lower than a selected target temperature; f) the controller also operative to cool the warming/cooling fluid being conveyed to the warming/cooling device, thereby to conductively cool the patient in a non-invasive manner when the first sensor senses a patient temperature higher than the selected target temperature; g) wherein the controller automatically controls the warming or cooling of the warming/cooling fluid during an initial stage, at a temperature that differs from the sensed patient temperature by, at a maximum, a predetermined initial stage temperature gradient; and h) the controller, during a subsequent stage, automatically controls the warming or cooling of the warming/cooling fluid by automatically varying the magnitude of the temperature gradient from the predetermined initial stage temperature gradient toward a subsequent temperature gradient, in response to a subsequently sensed temperature of the patient as sensed via the first sensor, if the sensed patient temperature has not moved sufficiently close to the selected target temperature, thereby to more quickly bring the temperature of the patient to the selected target temperature and to do so in a manner which minimizes overshoot, and wherein the controller does not automatically vary the magnitude of the temperature gradient from the predetermined initial stage temperature gradient if the sensed patient temperature has moved sufficiently close to the selected target temperature.