The University of Chicago

Uchicago Argonne, LLC

Arch Development Corporation

Kenneth E Kasza

Terry Vanden Hoek

Lance B Becker

Brandon L Fisher

Farah J Shareef

John Oras

HyunJin Son

A method and device are provided for the preparation of sterile medical ice slurry, for example having ice loadings of greater than approximately 50%. An integrated-operation ice slurry blender-based production and delivery system methods for monitoring cooling capacity of the produced and delivered slurry. All individual medical ice slurry production and delivery steps are integrated into one tightly coupled precisely sequenced and timed system. The novel procedure and equipment is simple to use and makes sterile slurry, which is ready to deliver to patients, for example, in less than 2 minutes after adding predetermined thermally preconditioned ingredient modules to a blender.

Enhanced integrated operation blender based sterile medical ice slurry production device

Systems for phase-change particulate slurry cooling equipment and methods to induce hypothermia in a patient through internal and external cooling are provided. Subcutaneous, intravascular, intraperitoneal, gastrointestinal, and lung methods of cooling are carried out using saline ice slurries or other phase-change slurries compatible with human tissue. Perfluorocarbon slurries or other slurry types compatible with human tissue are used for pulmonary cooling. And traditional external cooling methods are improved by utilizing phase-change slurry materials in cooling caps and torso blankets.

Method for inducing hypothermia

The present invention relates to an apparatus for producing sterile ice slurries for medical cooling applications. The apparatus is capable of producing highly loaded slurries suitable for delivery to targeted internal organs of a patient, such as the brain, heart, lungs, stomach, kidneys, pancreas, and others, through medical size diameter tubing. The ice slurry production apparatus includes a slurry production reservoir adapted to contain a volume of a saline solution. A flexible membrane crystallization surface is provided within the slurry production reservoir. The crystallization surface is chilled to a temperature below a freezing point of the saline solution within the reservoir such that ice particles form on the crystallization surface. A deflector in the form of a reciprocating member is provided for periodically distorting the crystallization surface and dislodging the ice particles which form on the crystallization surface. Using reservoir mixing the slurry is conditioned for easy pumping directly out of the production reservoir via medical tubing or delivery through other means such as squeeze bottles, squeeze bags, hypodermic syringes, manual hand delivery, and the like.

Medical ice slurry production device

A phase change particulate saline slurry and methods and apparatus are provided for producing phase change particulate saline slurries. One method for producing phase change particulate saline slurries includes the steps of providing a liquid with a set percentage freezing point depressant, such as, a set percentage saline solution; subcooling the saline solution to a freezing point to produce ice particles; and increasing an ice particle concentration under controlled temperature for a period of time to provide a set ice particle concentration for the phase change particulate saline slurry. In another method for producing phase change particulate saline slurries, water and a first set amount of sodium chloride are provided to produce a saline solution. The saline solution is cooled to a set temperature. A selected percentage of chunk ice is added to the saline solution and the chunk ice is broken into ice particles. The ice particles have a small size. Next a second set amount of sodium chloride is added and distributed for smoothing of the ice particles. The total saline solution concentrations resulting from the total of the first set amount and the second set amount of added sodium chloride are preferably in the range of about 0.5% to 6.0%. The loadings or percentage of ice particles are preferably in the range of 5% to 50%. A phase change particulate saline slurry includes a water and sodium chloride solution. The sodium chloride is provided in a range between about 0.5% to 6.0%. A percentage of ice particles is provided in the range between about 5% to 50%. The ice particles have a size of about 1 mm or less than 1 mm; and the ice particles have a generally smooth shape.

Methods and apparatus for producing phase change ice particulate saline slurries

A phase change ice particulate perfluorocarbon slurry and a method and apparatus are provided for producing phase change particulate perfluorocarbon slurries. A known amount of perfluorocarbon liquid is provided. A set percentage of a phase change liquid and optionally other additives, such as oxygen or other cell protectants are added to the known amount of perfluorocarbon liquid. The phase change liquid and the perfluorocarbon liquid are mixed to produce an emulsion of small droplets of the phase change liquid in the perfluorocarbon liquid. The emulsion is cooled to produce the phase change particulate perfluorocarbon slurry. A phase change ice particulate perfluorocarbon slurry comprises a known amount of perfluorocarbon liquid and a set percentage of a phase change liquid added to the known amount of perfluorocarbon liquid. An emulsion is formed by the set percentage of a phase change liquid and the known amount of perfluorocarbon liquid. The phase change particulate perfluorocarbon slurry is formed by cooling the emulsion to a freezing point. The phase change liquid includes water or a saline solution. A set percentage of water is provided in a range between about 5% and 50%. A set percentage of saline solution is provided in a range between about 0.5% and 6.0%.

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Palos Park, IL, United States of America

Kenneth E Kasza