Patent ID: 7458984

Claim:
In a system in which a working fluid is circulated through a catheter and a heal transfer element, the working fluid having a temperature different from a patient temperature, a method of controlling the administration of a thermal therapy, comprising: entering a target patient temperature into the system; inserting a catheter having a heat transfer element positioned at a distal tip of the catheter into a blood vessel of a patient, the catheter having a supply lumen fin supplying a working fluid to the heat transfer element and a return lumen for returning a working fluid from the heat transfer element; circulating a working fluid through the catheter and the heat transfer element, the working fluid having a temperature different from the patient temperature; circulating a working fluid and not determining a control temperature, for a predetermined period of time based on the difference between a temperature determined from a signal from a temperature sensor mounted at or adjacent the distal tip of the heat transfer element and the target patient temperature; after the predetermined period of time, receiving a signal from the temperature sensor and determining a control temperature based on the signal; using the control temperature to control the temperature of the working fluid.