Compact Heat Exchanger for Veno-Venous Hyperthermia

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional veno-venous perfusion-induced hyperthermia systems face challenges in delivering sufficient heat to visceral organs while minimizing damage to normal tissues and avoiding complications such as thrombosis and pain, due to heterogenous heat distribution and the need for high temperatures.

Innovation Solution

A compact heat exchanger with an integral pneumatic pump and blood flow redirector structures that promotes even blood flow and mixing, reducing thrombosis risk and allowing for a pulsatile flow pattern, which enhances heat exchange and gas exchange, and includes an atrium to maintain a consistent blood supply.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Temperature

If conventional veno-venous perfusion-inducedhyperthermia systems use long tubing lengths and multiple cannulations, then the system can deliver hyperthermia treatment, but the circuit length increases and blood must be heated to unacceptable temperatures (46 C and above) risking damage to blood cells and patient pain

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveblood heating temperatureVSAvoiddamage to blood cells and patient pain

Core Design Contradiction:

TemperatureVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system divides the blood circulation path into multiple segments with multiple heat exchangers positioned at different locations along the circuit. This allows distributed heating throughout the circuit rather than concentrated heating in one location, enabling effective hyperthermia delivery at lower peak temperatures that avoid blood cell damage and patient pain.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Temperature

If conventional heat delivery methods are used, then heat can be delivered to the body, but heat redistributes blood flow away from visceral organs to skin and peripheral tissue, resulting in heterogenous heat distribution and insufficient heat delivery to visceral organs

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveheat delivery to visceral organsVSAvoidheat distribution homogeneity

Core Design Contradiction:

TemperatureVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple heat exchangers are positioned at different locations along the blood circuit to provide distributed heating. This segmented approach ensures homogeneous heat distribution throughout the blood, including to visceral organs, preventing the heterogenous distribution caused by conventional methods that redirect blood flow to skin and peripheral tissues.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system incorporates temperature sensors positioned at multiple locations along the blood circuit that provide feedback to the control system. This feedback mechanism allows real-time monitoring and adjustment of heating to maintain homogeneous temperature distribution and ensure adequate heat delivery to visceral organs while preventing overheating of peripheral tissues.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Speed

If conventional pumping systems are used, then blood can be circulated through the heat exchanger, but pulsatile inlet blood flow patterns are provided which can cause areas of stagnation and increase thrombosis risk

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveblood flow rateVSAvoidthrombosis risk

Core Design Contradiction:

SpeedVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system employs a pulsatile pump that generates controlled pulsatile blood flow patterns. These periodic flow variations prevent blood stagnation by continuously moving blood through the heat exchanger, thereby reducing thrombosis risk while maintaining adequate circulation speed for effective heat delivery.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses a pneumatic pump to generate blood flow instead of conventional mechanical pumps. The pneumatic actuation creates gentle pulsatile flow patterns that effectively prevent stagnation and reduce thrombosis risk while maintaining reliable blood circulation through the heat exchanger.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #29Pneumatics and hydraulics

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The solution enables effective heat delivery to visceral organs, reducing thrombosis risk and improving treatment efficiency, while maintaining stable hemodynamics and minimizing heat exposure to blood, thus providing a therapeutic hyperthermia dose without causing pain or damage.

Implementation Method 1

heat exchanger including an integral pneumatic pump

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectHeat conduction: Conduction (thermal)

Implementation Method 2

promotes an even perfusion and mixing of blood, eliminating areas of stagnation and improving heat exchange

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectConvection: Convection

Implementation Method 3

integral pneumatic pump enclosed substantially within a housing thereof

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectPneumatic pressure: Pressure Gradient

Data Source

PatentUS9468557B2Compact heat exchanger for veno-venous perfusion-induced systemic hyperthermia systems

Publication Date: 2016.10.18 UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY RESEARCH FOUNDATION

AI summary

A compact heat exchanger for veno-venous perfusion-induced hyperthermia includes an integral pneumatic pump and a hollow tubule heat exchange array. A veno-venous perfusion-induced hyperthermia system incorporating the compact heat exchanger is described. The heat exchanger provides a compact, efficient design allowing a lesser heat exchanging surface area and lesser required pumping power compared to conventional systems. In turn, the system provides a shorter blood circuit compared to conventional systems, allowing maintaining a lower blood temperature than such conventional systems while supplying sufficiently heated blood to patient visceral organs to provide a therapeutic effect, such as in supplementing chemotherapy drugs.