초록 ▼

Methods and apparatus for temperature modification of selected body regions including an induced state of local hypothermia of the brain region for neuroprotection. A heat exchange catheter is provided with heat transfer fins projecting or extending outward from the catheter which may be inserted in

Methods and apparatus for temperature modification of selected body regions including an induced state of local hypothermia of the brain region for neuroprotection. A heat exchange catheter is provided with heat transfer fins projecting or extending outward from the catheter which may be inserted into selected blood vessels or body regions to transfer heat with blood or fluid in the selected blood vessels or body regions. Another aspect of the invention further provides methods and apparatus for controlling the internal body temperature of a patient. By selectively heating or cooling a portion of the catheter lying within a blood vessel, heat may be transferred to or from blood flowing within the vessel to increase or decrease whole body temperature or the temperature of a target region. Feed back from temperature sensors located within the patient's body allow for control of the heat transfer from the catheter to automatically control the temperature of the patient or of the target region within the patient. The apparatus may include a blood channeling sleeve that directs body fluid over a heat exchanger where the body fluid's temperature is altered, and then is discharged out the distal end of the sleeve to a desired location, for example, cooled blood to the brain for neuroprotection. The catheter may be used alone or in conjunction with other heat exchangers to cool one region of a patient's body while heating another.

대표청구항 ▼

Methods and apparatus for temperature modification of selected body regions including an induced state of local hypothermia of the brain region for neuroprotection. A heat exchange catheter is provided with heat transfer fins projecting or extending outward from the catheter which may be inserted in

Methods and apparatus for temperature modification of selected body regions including an induced state of local hypothermia of the brain region for neuroprotection. A heat exchange catheter is provided with heat transfer fins projecting or extending outward from the catheter which may be inserted into selected blood vessels or body regions to transfer heat with blood or fluid in the selected blood vessels or body regions. Another aspect of the invention further provides methods and apparatus for controlling the internal body temperature of a patient. By selectively heating or cooling a portion of the catheter lying within a blood vessel, heat may be transferred to or from blood flowing within the vessel to increase or decrease whole body temperature or the temperature of a target region. Feed back from temperature sensors located within the patient's body allow for control of the heat transfer from the catheter to automatically control the temperature of the patient or of the target region within the patient. The apparatus may include a blood channeling sleeve that directs body fluid over a heat exchanger where the body fluid's temperature is altered, and then is discharged out the distal end of the sleeve to a desired location, for example, cooled blood to the brain for neuroprotection. The catheter may be used alone or in conjunction with other heat exchangers to cool one region of a patient's body while heating another. he left and right side walls, and the bottom wall are formed as a unitary structure molded from plastics material. 3. The container of claim 1 wherein the bin has left and right side regions that extend upwardly from the interior surface of the bottom wall, with the left side region extending from the upper interior surface of the left side wall to an imaginary upstanding center plane that extends centrally through the bin from the front wall to the rear wall at a location mid-way between the upper interior surface portions of the left and right side walls, with the right side region extending from the upper interior surface of the right side wall to the imaginary upstanding center plane, and with the left and right side walls and the bottom wall being configured so that the left and right side regions are symmetrical about the center plane and are of substantially identical configuration except that the configurations of the left and right side regions are mirror image reversals of each other. 4. The container of claim 1 wherein the left and right side walls and the rear wall define top surfaces having portions that face upwardly and extend substantially in a common horizontal plane. 5. The container of claim 4 wherein the front and rear walls, the left and right side walls, and the bottom wall are formed as a unitary structure molded from plastics material. 6. The container of claim 4 wherein substantially vertically extending grooves that open into the bin are provided in the left and right side walls for receiving opposite ends of a removable divider adapted to segregate a rear portion of the bin from a front portion of the bin. 7. The container of claim 6 wherein such ones of the vertically extending grooves as are provided in the left side wall are located directly opposite such ones of the vertically extending grooves as are provided in the right side wall so that the removable divider can be installed with the opposite ends in opposite ones of the grooves, with the divider extending in a plane that substantially parallels the front and rear walls. 8. The container of claim 7 additionally including slot-like holes formed through the bottom wall that substantially align with at least selected ones of the vertically extending grooves so as to reside within said plane for receiving depending projections that are provided on a bottom portion of the removable divider. 9. The container of claim 6 wherein the vertically extending grooves open through the top surfaces of the left and right side walls. 10. The container of claim 6 additionally including means for being installed atop the front and rear walls of the container and atop the left and right side walls of the container for extending the height of the front and rear walls and the left and right side walls of the container, and for providing vertically extending extensions of the vertically extending grooves in the left and right side walls, and wherein the removable divider is configured to engage the vertically extending extensions of the vertically extending grooves. 11. The container of claim 1 wherein the left and right side walls and the rear wall 1) extend substantially vertically, 2) define top surfaces at upper ends thereof that extend in a substantially common horizontally extending plane, and 3) define bottom surfaces at lower ends thereof that extend in another substantially common horizontally extending plane, and wherein the container is stackable with other identically configured containers with one of the other identically configured containers having bottom surfaces thereof engaging atop the top surfaces of the container, and with another of the identically configured containers having top surfaces thereof engaging the bottom surfaces of the container. 12. The container of claim 11 additionally including means for enabling the container to securely connect with the one of the identically configured containers and with the another of the identically conf igured containers when the one of the identically configured containers has the bottom surfaces thereof engaging the top surfaces of the container, and when the another of the identically configured containers has the top surfaces thereof engaging the bottom surfaces of the container. 13. The container of claim 12 wherein the front and rear walls, the left and right side walls, the bottom wall and the means are formed as a unitary structure molded from plastics material. 14. The container of claim 12 wherein the means includes a plurality of upwardly extending projections supported by selected ones of the left and right side walls and the rear wall, and includes a plurality of downwardly opening cavities supported by the selected ones of the left and right side walls and the rear wall. 15. The container of claim 1 additionally including means for being defined near front end regions of the left and right side walls for removably connecting with means for extending forwardly from near the front end regions of the left and right side walls for supporting opposite end regions of a pivotal door, and a pivotal door having opposite end regions that are pivotally connectable with the means for extending forwardly from the left and right side walls, with the pivotal door being pivotally movable between a position overlying a relatively large portion of the front opening to a position overlying a lesser portion of the front opening. 16. The container of claim 15 wherein the pivotal door includes means for supporting a sign. 17. The container of claim 16 wherein the pivotal door has a transparent portion, and the means for supporting a sign is configured to support said sign at a location behind the transparent portion for being viewed through the transparent portion. 18. The container of claim 15 wherein the means for extending forwardly from near the front end regions of the left and right side walls included extender members that are pivotally connected to opposite end regions of the pivotal door in a manner that permits the door to pivot about a substantially horizontally extending axis that substantially parallels the front wall at a location near upper regions of the front wall. 19. The container of claim 18 wherein the extender members include a left extender configured to connect with and extend forwardly from near the left side wall, and a right extender configured to connect with and extend forwardly from near the right side wall. 20. The container of claim 19 wherein the container is formed as a unitary structure molded from plastics material, the door is formed as a unitary structure molded from plastics material, and the left and right extenders each are molded from plastics material. 21. The container of claim 18 wherein the pivotal door has a vertically extending length that permits the door to depend from said axis to a position wherein the door overlies a majority of but not all of the front opening. 22. The container of claim 18 wherein the pivotal door has a vertically extending length that permits the door to depend from said axis to a position beneath the front wall of the container wherein the door overlies substantially all of the front opening of the container and a portion of a front opening of an identical container positioned directly beneath the container in a manner such that the front wall of the identical container aligns with the front wall of the container, and the front opening of the identical container is located directly beneath the front opening of the container. 23. A stackable one-piece container for defining a front-accessible bin for displaying tubular articles therein, comprising: a) left and right upstanding, generally rectangular side walls that are 1) joined at rear end regions thereof by a transversely extending, upstanding, generally rectangular rear wall, and 2) joined at front end regions thereof by a transversely extending, upstanding, generally rectangular front wall; b) a bottom w all extending between the front and rear walls so as to define an inner surface that joins substantially at right angles with inner surfaces of the front and rear walls, and extends between inner surfaces of the upstanding left and right walls in a concave manner so as to cooperate with the inner surfaces of the left and right side walls to define a bin of U-shaped cross-section that is substantially symmetrical about an imaginary plane that parallels the upstanding left and right side walls at a location mid-way therebetween, wherein the U-shaped cross-section is substantially uniform from the back of the bin to the front of the bin, has its greatest depth where the imaginary plane joins with the front and rear walls, and has its shallowest depth where the inner surface joins with the inner surfaces of the left and right side walls; c) with means being defined in upper and lower regions of the left and right side walls of said container for mating with a lower container and an upper container that are configured identically to said container to make it possible for said container to be stacked and supported atop the lower container, with the upper container being stacked and supported atop said container; d) a substantially U-shaped opening defined by the front wall for providing access to said bin in a zone that extends vertically from near the bottom wall to near the upper regions of the side walls, and horizontally from near the left side wall to near the right side wall; and, e) with upstanding rib formations underlying, connecting with, strengthening and rigidifying the bottom wall at locations between the lower regions of the left and right side walls. 24. In combination, the container of claim 23 and a left extender configured to be attached to the upper regions of the left side wall, a right extender configured to be attached to the upper regions of the right side wall, and a door configured to overlie at least a portion of the U-shaped opening of the front wall, wherein the left and right extenders are adapted to pivotally connect with opposite end regions of the door to mount the door to overlie at least said portion of the U-shaped opening of the front wall and to pivot about an axis spaced forwardly from an upper paft of the front wall. 25. The combination of claim 24 wherein the pivotal door includes means for supporting a sign. 26. The combination of claim 25 wherein the pivotal door has a transparent portion, and the means for supporting a sign is configured to support said sign at a location behind the transparent portion for being viewed through the transparent portion. 27. The combination of claim 24 wherein the door has a vertically extending length that permits the door to depend from said axis to a position beneath the front wall of the container wherein the door overlies substantially all of the front opening of the container and is capable of overlying an upper portion of a front opening of an identical container positioned directly beneath the container in a manner such that the front wall of the identical container aligns with the front wall of the container, and the front opening of the identical container is located directly beneath the front opening of the container. 28. The container of claim 23 wherein the front and rear walls, the left and right side walls, and the bottom wall are formed as a unitary structure molded from plastics material. 29. The container of claim 28 wherein substantially vertically extending grooves that open into the bin are provided in the left and right side walls for receiving opposite ends of a removable divider adapted to segregate a rear portion of the bin from a front portion of the bin. 30. The container of claim 29 wherein such ones of the vertically extending grooves as are provided in the left side wall are located directly opposite such ones of the vertically extending grooves as are provided in the right side wall so that the removable divider can be insta