HK1261079A1 - A cooling system for circulating cooling fluid through a cooling pad - Google Patents

Description

Cooling system for circulating a cooling fluid through a cooling pad

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a cooling system for a non-invasive medical cooling treatment for cooling at least a part of a body of a person by means of a cooling fluid flowing through a cooling pad.

Background

The cooling pad may be used in a medical cooling process for medically cooling various regions of a person or patient's body in a non-invasive manner by placing the cooling pad on or around the body part to be cooled. The largest available cooling area of a non-invasive cooling system is located on the back or chest of the patient.

The cooling pad is typically connected to a cooling system that circulates a cooling fluid through the cooling pad. The known cooling system comprises a reservoir for maintaining the cooling fluid at a constant temperature and a pump for circulating the cooling fluid through the cooling pad. One example of a known cooling system is US 2002/020317. Another cooling system is shown in WO 2016/016610.

A person suffering from, for example, sudden cardiac arrest may receive non-invasive medical cooling. The general effect of this treatment is that the patient's body will begin to shiver due to cooling. Under normal conditions, when the body temperature drops beyond a certain point, for example about 35 ℃, the body begins to shiver in an attempt to recover the heat loss. Depending on the person, involuntary tremor can begin at different temperatures. Tremor is undesirable because it consumes the patient's power. Furthermore, the patient may also develop fever under prolonged cooling treatment, in which case the cooling treatment results in a higher body temperature.

To avoid patient shivering, the cooling system may be provided with a heating circuit to control the temperature of the cooling fluid. Such heating systems include heaters, mixing reservoirs and heat exchangers, which make known cooling systems complex and bulky and also increase the manufacturing and maintenance costs of the cooling system.

It is therefore an object of the present disclosure to provide an improved cooling system for non-invasive medical cooling treatment that solves at least one problem of the prior art. In particular, it is an object of the present disclosure to provide a cooling system that is compact, reliable and allows for precise control of the temperature of the cooling fluid. Furthermore, it is an object of the invention to provide a cooling system which is simple in design and can be manufactured at relatively low cost.

Disclosure of Invention

According to the present disclosure, at least one of these objects is achieved by: a cooling system for a non-invasive medical cooling treatment for cooling at least a portion of a person's body by means of a cooling fluid flowing through a cooling pad, the cooling system comprising:

-a reservoir for holding a cooling fluid;

-a fluid outlet conduit connected to the reservoir and having an outlet portion configured to be connected to an inlet for cooling fluid of at least a first cooling pad;

-a fluid inlet conduit connected to the reservoir and having an inlet portion configured to be connected to an outlet for cooling fluid of at least a first cooling pad;

-a first pump configured to pump cooling fluid from the reservoir to the outlet section through the fluid outlet conduit,

-a fluid bypass conduit connected to the inlet portion of the fluid inlet conduit and to the outlet portion of the fluid outlet conduit, thereby bypassing the reservoir, wherein the fluid bypass conduit has a first end connected to the inlet portion of the fluid inlet conduit and a second end connected to the outlet portion of the fluid outlet conduit; and

-a second pump arranged between the first end and the second end of the fluid bypass conduit to pump cooling fluid from the fluid inlet conduit to the fluid outlet conduit through the fluid bypass conduit,

-arranging a first check valve between the second end of the fluid bypass conduit and the first pump to prevent cooling fluid from flowing in a direction towards the first pump; and

-arranging a second check valve between the second end of the fluid bypass conduit and the second pump to prevent cooling fluid from flowing in a direction towards the second pump, wherein,

-the cooling system is configured such that when the first pump is operated cooling fluid is conveyed from the reservoir to the outlet portion of the fluid outlet conduit, and configured such that when the second pump is operated cooling fluid is conveyed from the inlet portion of the fluid inlet conduit to the fluid outlet portion of the fluid outlet conduit.

In the cooling system of the present disclosure, the fluid bypass conduit allows all of the cooling fluid to be circulated directly from the inlet of the fluid inlet conduit to the outlet of the fluid outlet conduit without passing through the cooling reservoir. When circulating the cooling fluid in this way, it has surprisingly been found that a sufficient mixing of the cooling fluid is achieved in the cooling pad. That is, while the cooling fluid in the cooling pad removes heat from the patient's skin, the cooling fluid is mixed and rapidly assumes a temperature that approaches the temperature of the patient's skin.

Since the temperature of the cooling pad is maintained close to the skin temperature of the patient, the patient can be sufficiently cooled without any adverse effects in terms of shivering or fever. In particular, the exacerbation of the fever that would result from excessive cooling of the patient with the fever is avoided. In addition, for a person with fever, the body temperature or the so-called fever curve changes over time. However, the temperature of the cooling pad will quickly adjust to any temperature changes of the patient's skin and remain close to the person's fever curve.

A further advantage of the cooling system according to the present disclosure is that cooling fluid can be selectively supplied to the three cooling pads. Either from the reservoir or from the fluid bypass conduit. This provides the possibility of selectively directing the cooling fluid to areas of the body with more or less cold receptors, thereby having a high degree of flexibility in cooling the patient.

Thus, the cooling system according to the present disclosure helps to maintain effective control of the temperature of the cooling fluid of the cooling pad through a simple and compact design.

Furthermore, features and alternatives of the cooling system are disclosed in the following detailed description and in the appended claims.

Drawings

FIG. 1: schematic illustration of a cooling system according to a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

The cooling system according to the present disclosure will be described more fully below. However, cooling systems according to the present disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided by way of example so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the specification.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic view of a cooling system 1 according to the present disclosure. The cooling system 1 is intended for a non-invasive medical cooling treatment for cooling at least a part of the body of a person 2 by means of a cooling fluid flowing through cooling pads 3, 4, 5. Each cooling pad has an inlet (not shown) for introducing a flow of cooling fluid into the cooling pad and an outlet (not shown) for flowing the flow of cooling fluid out of the cooling pad. The cooling pad may be made of opposing silicon wafers and is designed to contain, for example, 2cm³To 5cm³A suitable volume of cooling fluid. The cooling pad may also be configured to induce turbulence in the cooling fluid passing through the cooling pad, thereby ensuring good mixing and efficient heat transfer between the cooling fluid and the patient's skin. A cooling pad suitable for use in the cooling system of the present disclosure is described in the applicant's unpublished swedish patent application 1551499-5.

The cooling system comprises a reservoir 10 for holding a cooling fluid, which may be water or a mixture of water and MPG glycol. The reservoir may also comprise a heat exchanger unit (not shown) for maintaining the temperature of the cooling fluid at a predetermined level, e.g. 4 ℃.

The cooling system 1 comprises a fluid outlet conduit 20 for conveying cooling fluid from the reservoir 4 to the cooling pads 3, 4, 5. The fluid outlet conduit 20 is connected to the reservoir 10 and comprises a first pump 70 for pumping the cooling fluid through the fluid outlet conduit 20. The pump may be a centrifugal pump. The fluid outlet conduit 20 further includes an outlet portion 23, the outlet portion 23 extending from the first pump 70 and terminating in at least one outlet 27, the outlet 27 configured to be fluidly connected to an inlet of the at least one cooling pad. In the disclosed embodiment, the outlet section 23 comprises three outlet branch pipes 24, 25, 26, each terminating in an outlet 27, 28, 29, respectively.

At least one valve member 90, 91, 92, such as an on/off valve, may be provided in the outlet portion 23 to close at least one outlet 27, 28, 29. In fig. 1, each branch pipe 24 to 26 has a valve member 90, 91, 92 in the form of an on/off valve for closing the fluid outlet 27, 28, 29 of each branch pipe. The valve members 90, 91, 92 may be operated independently of each other, allowing selective closing of the outlets 27, 28, 29.

The cooling system 1 further comprises a fluid inlet conduit 40, the fluid inlet conduit 40 extending from the reservoir 10 to an inlet portion 43, the inlet portion 43 terminating in at least one inlet 47, the inlet 47 being configured to be liquid-tightly connected to an outlet of the at least one cooling pad. In the illustrated embodiment, the inlet portion 43 includes three inlet legs 44, 45, 46, each inlet leg 44, 45, 46 terminating in an inlet 47, 48, 49, respectively.

Thus, the cooling liquid is supplied from the reservoir 10 and may be pumped by the first pump 70 through the fluid outlet conduit 20 to the cooling pads 110, 120, 130 and from the cooling pads 110, 120, 130 back to the reservoir 10 through the fluid inlet conduit 40.

According to the present disclosure, the cooling system 1 comprises a fluid bypass conduit 60 connected to the fluid inlet portion 43 of the fluid inlet conduit 40 and to the fluid outlet portion 23 of the fluid outlet conduit 20. The cooling system 1 further comprises a second fluid pump 80 configured to pump cooling fluid from the inlet portion 43 of the fluid inlet conduit 40 to the outlet portion 23 of the fluid outlet conduit 20. The cooling system 1 is configured such that when the first pump 70 is operated, all cooling fluid is transported from the tank 10 to the outlet portion 23 of the fluid outlet conduit 20. The cooling system 1 is further configured such that when the second pump 80 is operated, all cooling fluid is transported from the inlet portion 43 of the fluid inlet conduit 40 to the fluid outlet portion 23 of the fluid outlet conduit 20.

Accordingly, the fluid bypass conduit 60 includes a first end 61 and a second end 62. The first end 61 is connected to the inlet portion 43 of the fluid inlet conduit 40 and the second end 62 is connected to the outlet portion 23 of the fluid outlet conduit 20.

The second pump 80 is disposed in the fluid bypass conduit 60 between the first end 61 and the second end 62 of the fluid bypass conduit 60. The second pump 80 is configured such that it pumps fluid in a direction from the first end 61 of the fluid bypass conduit 60 to the second end 62 of the fluid bypass conduit 60. The cooling system 1 further comprises three check valves 95, 96, 97 for controlling the flow of cooling fluid when the first pump 70 and the second pump 80 are operating. The check valve allows fluid flow through the valve in one direction but prevents fluid flow through the valve in the opposite direction.

The first check valve 95 is disposed at the outlet portion 23 of the fluid outlet conduit 20. The first check valve 95 is thus disposed between the first fluid pump 70 and the second end 62 of the fluid bypass conduit 60. The first check valve 95 is configured to prevent the cooling fluid from flowing in a direction from the second end 62 of the fluid bypass conduit toward the first fluid pump 70.

Thus, the second end 62 of the fluid bypass conduit 60 is disposed between the first check valve 95 and the outlets 27, 28, 29 of the outlet portion 23. In particular, the second end 62 of the fluid bypass conduit 60 is disposed between the valve members 90, 91, 92 of the outlet portion 23 and the first check valve 95.

The second check valve 96 is disposed in the fluid bypass conduit 60 at a location between the second end 62 of the fluid bypass conduit 60 and the second pump 80. The second check valve 96 is configured to prevent the cooling fluid from flowing in a direction from the second end 62 of the fluid bypass conduit 60 toward the second fluid pump 80.

The third check valve 97 is disposed in the fluid inlet conduit 40 at a location between the sump 10 and the first end 61 of the fluid bypass conduit 60. The second check valve 96 is configured to prevent the cooling fluid from flowing in a direction from the sump 10 toward the fluid bypass conduit 60.

Accordingly, the first end 61 of the fluid bypass conduit 60 is disposed between the inlets 47, 48, 40 of the fluid inlet portion 40 and the third check valve 97.

The operation of the cooling system 1 according to the present disclosure will be explained below.

The cooling system 1 may be operated in a first cooling mode providing intensive cooling to the patient 2. In the first cooling mode, the second pump 80 is off, i.e., not operating, and therefore does not pump coolant. The three valve members 90, 91, 92 may be in an open position, allowing cooling fluid to flow into the three cooling pads 3, 4, 5. The first pump 70 is operated, i.e. the first pump 70 is switched on and coolant is pumped from the reservoir 10 through the fluid outlet conduit 20 towards the fluid outlets 27, 28, 29 and into the cooling pads 3, 4, 5. During operation of the first pump 70, the second check valve 96 prevents cooling fluid from flowing through the fluid bypass conduit 60. The cooling liquid is returned from the cooling pads 3, 4, 5 via the fluid inlets 47, 48, 49 and back to the reservoir 10 through the fluid inlet conduit 40. In the first cooling mode, the cooling liquid is continuously recirculated in the reservoir 10 and is thus maintained at a constant low temperature of, for example, 4 ℃. The body core temperature of the patient 2 can be monitored by the temperature sensor 6 during cooling. When the set target core temperature value is reached, cooling of the patient 2 may be reduced by closing one or more of the valve members 90, 91, 92 to avoid shivering. For example, valve 91 may be closed, with the result that cooling around the patient's chest and armpits is reduced. One or more of the valve members 90, 91, 92 may also be repeatedly opened and closed to reduce cooling to the patient.

In the second cooling mode, the aim is to keep the cooling pads 3, 4, 5 at a temperature close to the temperature of the patient's skin, in order to avoid a cooling effect that would cause fever. Thus, in the second cooling mode, the first fluid pump 70 is off, i.e., not operating, and the second fluid pump 80 is on, i.e., on. Thus, the second fluid pump 80 pumps all cooling fluid flowing from the cooling pads 3, 4, 5 into the fluid inlet conduit 40 directly through the fluid bypass conduit 60 and into the fluid outlet portion 23 of the fluid outlet line 20 and into the cooling pads 110, 120, 130. Thus, the cooling fluid will circulate through the cooling pad and not mix with the cooling liquid in the reservoir 10. Thus, the cooling temperature will quickly assume the skin temperature of the patient 2.

The cooling system 1 may also be operated in a third cooling mode providing gentle cooling to a patient with a fever. In this case, the cooling system operates as in the second mode, but only valve member 92 is open. This will result in the cooling fluid only circulating through the cooling pad 5 which cools the thighs of the patient. The thighs have few cold receptors and the selective circulation of cooling fluid in this area will result in the temperature of the cooling pad 5 remaining close to the patient's fever curve.

Although specific embodiments have been disclosed in detail, this has been done for the purpose of illustration only and is not to be construed as limiting. In particular, it is contemplated that various substitutions, alterations, and modifications may be made within the scope of the appended claims.

In particular, it is understood that "fluid outlet conduit" and "fluid inlet conduit" refer to a continuous channel for conveying a cooling fluid.

In particular, it will be appreciated that the fluid outlet conduit may comprise: a first conduit portion extending from the tank 10 to the first pump 70 and a second conduit portion extending from the pump 70 to the first check valve 95; a third conduit portion that may extend from the first check valve 95 to the outlets 27, 28, 29; the third conduit may also extend from the first check valve 95 to two or three or more conduit branches 24, 25, 26, the conduit branches 24, 25, 26 terminating in outlets 27, 28, 29, respectively.

The fluid inlet conduit 40 may include: a first conduit portion extending from the reservoir 10 to the third check valve 97; a second conduit portion that may extend from the third check valve 97 to the outlets 47, 48, 49; the second conduit portion may also extend from the third check valve 97 to two or three or more conduit branches 44, 45, 46, each of the conduit branches 44, 45, 46 terminating in an inlet 47, 48, 49.

The fluid bypass conduit 60 may include: a first conduit portion extending from a second conduit of the fluid inlet conduit 40 to the second pump 80; a second conduit portion extending from the second pump 80 to a second check valve 96; and a third conduit portion extending from the second check valve 96 to the second conduit portion of the fluid outlet conduit 40.

The above disclosed conduit sections may be in the form of piping (pipe) or hoses (tube) or pipes (piping).

Moreover, although specific terms may have been employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. Furthermore, as used herein, the term "comprising" or "includes" does not exclude the presence of other elements. Finally, reference signs in the claims are provided merely as a clarifying example and shall not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims in any way.

Claims (4)

1. A cooling system (1) for a non-invasive medical cooling treatment for cooling at least a part of the body of a person (2) by means of a cooling fluid flowing through a cooling pad (3, 4, 5), the cooling system (1) comprising:

-a reservoir (10) for holding a cooling fluid;

-a fluid outlet conduit (20) connected to the reservoir (10) and having an outlet portion (23), the outlet portion (23) being configured to be connected to an inlet for cooling fluid of at least a first cooling pad (3);

-a fluid inlet duct (40) connected to the reservoir (10) and having an inlet portion (43), the inlet portion (43) being configured to be connected to an outlet for cooling fluid of at least a first cooling pad (3);

-a first pump (70) configured to pump cooling fluid from the reservoir (10) to the outlet section (23) through the fluid outlet conduit (20),

-a fluid bypass conduit (60) connected to the inlet portion (43) of the fluid inlet conduit (40) and to the outlet portion (23) of the fluid outlet conduit (20) thereby bypassing the tank (10), wherein the fluid bypass conduit (60) has a first end (61) connected to the inlet portion (43) of the fluid inlet conduit (40) and a second end (62) connected to the outlet portion (23) of the fluid outlet conduit (20); and

-a second pump (80) arranged between the first end (61) and the second end (62) of the fluid bypass conduit (60) to pump cooling fluid from the fluid inlet conduit (40) through the fluid bypass conduit (60) to the fluid outlet conduit (20), characterized in that,

-arranging a first check valve (95) between the second end (62) of the fluid bypass conduit (60) and the first pump (70) to prevent cooling fluid flow in a direction towards the first pump (70); and

-arranging a second check valve (96) between the second end (62) of the fluid bypass conduit (60) and the second pump (80) to prevent cooling fluid from flowing in a direction towards the second pump (80), wherein,

-the cooling system (1) is configured such that cooling fluid is transported from the reservoir (10) to the outlet portion (23) of the fluid outlet conduit (20) when the first pump (70) is operated, and is configured such that cooling fluid is transported from the inlet portion (43) of the fluid inlet conduit (40) to the fluid outlet portion (23) of the fluid outlet conduit (20) when the second pump (80) is operated.

2. A cooling system (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the outlet portion (23) of the fluid outlet conduit (20) comprises at least a first valve member (90, 91, 92) for closing and opening at least a first fluid outlet (27, 28, 29) of the outlet portion (23).

3. A cooling system (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a third check valve (97) is arranged between the first end (61) of the fluid bypass conduit (60) and the tank (10) to prevent cooling fluid from flowing in a direction from the tank (10) towards the second pump (80).

4. A cooling system (1) according to any of the claims 1-3, characterized in that the cooling system is configured to control the first pump (70) and the second pump (80) separately, whereby the first pump (70) is configured to operate when the second pump (80) is not in operation and the second pump (80) is operated when the first pump (70) is not in operation.