System and method for extracorporeal temperature control

Abstract

Improved systems and methods for extracorporeal blood temperature control and patient temperature control, e.g., for induced hypothermia and optional normothermia, may include or otherwise employ a heat exchanger for cooling/warming of a fluid, a thermal exchange module having fluidly isolated first and second volumes, and a fluid pump for circulating the fluid through the heat exchanger and the first volume of the thermal exchange module. A blood pump may be provided for the flow of blood through the second volume of the thermal exchange module, and a first controller may be provided for providing output signals for use in operation of the heat exchanger to selectively control thermal exchange between the fluid circulated through the first volume of the thermal exchange module and the blood flowed through the second volume of the thermal exchange module, thereby providing for selective cooling/warming of the blood. A multi lumen catheter may be utilized for the flow of blood from a patient vascular system to the second volume of the thermal exchange module, and for flow of blood from the second volume of the thermal exchange module back to the patient vascular system. The circulated fluid may be optionally circulated through a patient contact pad(s) for contact cooling/warming, wherein patient cooling/warming may be provided in a first mode via blood cooling/warming in the thermal exchange module, and patient cooling/warming may be provided in a second mode via thermal exchange by the contact pad(s).