Patent ID: 7963986

Claim:
A method of controlling the rate of change of a patient's body temperature using a heat transfer catheter and associated controller, comprising: providing a heat transfer catheter for insertion into a body cavity, the heat transfer catheter having a heat transfer region thereon; sensing the patient's body temperature in the body cavity or in another location; determining the temperature of the catheter heat transfer region; providing a controller in communication with the heat transfer catheter via conduits through which circulates a heat exchange fluid, the controller being adapted to elevate or depress the temperature of the catheter heat transfer region relative to the body temperature by adding or removing heat from the heat exchange fluid; selecting a target temperature different than the body temperature; monitoring the temperature differential between the target temperature and the body temperature; and actuating the controller to increase or decrease a rate of heat addition or removal from the heat exchange fluid as a function of the temperature differential between the target temperature and the body temperature; and wherein the steps of sensing, determining and monitoring are accomplished at rates of multiple times a second.