Patent ID: 7846154

Claim:
A cryotherapy apparatus, comprising: (a) a gas source operable to deliver both a high-pressure cooling gas and a low-pressure gas to a cryoprobe; (b) a cryoprobe having a gas input conduit, an operating tip which comprises a Joule-Thomson orifice, an expansion chamber, and an electrical heating element positioned to heat flowing input gas when gas is supplied by said gas source and caused to flow through said gas input conduit, said orifice, and said expansion chamber; (c) a power source operable to deliver electrical power to said heating element when commended to do so by a controller; and (d) a controller operable to switch between (i) a heating mode in which said gas source delivers low-pressure gas to said cryoprobe and said power source delivers electrical power to said heating element, and (ii) a cooling mode in which said gas source delivers high-pressure gas to said cryoprobe and said power source does not deliver electrical power to said heating element.