Cryoprobe Temperature Feedback for Reversible Nerve Freezing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cryoprobes and related methods result in tissue destruction rather than pain modulation or interruption due to insufficient temperature control, leading to the need for improved apparatuses and methods that can achieve targeted neurological tissue freezing without causing permanent damage.
Innovation Solution
A cryo-based anesthesia apparatus and method using a cryoprobe assembly with a cryogen delivery system and control apparatus, capable of maintaining a temperature range of -50 to -100 degrees C for a predetermined time, utilizing sensors and a cryo-treatment control system to adjust pressure and heater power for precise temperature management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional cryoprobes operate at extremely low temperatures to quickly freeze targeted tissue, then the efficiency of tissue freezing is improved, but the risk of permanent tissue damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the temperature parameter from traditional cryoablation levels (below -100°C) to a higher range (-50°C to -100°C) that is sufficient for pain modulation but below the threshold for permanent neurological tissue damage. This parameter adjustment resolves the contradiction by maintaining freezing efficiency while eliminating harmful tissue destruction
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback control system using temperature sensors positioned in the needle to monitor the temperature of the neurological tissue in real-time. The control apparatus receives this temperature data and automatically adjusts cryogen delivery to maintain the temperature within the safe therapeutic range, preventing both insufficient freezing and excessive tissue damage
2Object-affected harmful factors
If cryoprobes are operated without sufficient temperature control to achieve deep freezing, then the risk of tissue damage is reduced, but the ability to effectively modulate pain is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The control apparatus continuously monitors temperature via sensors and adjusts cryogen delivery based on real-time feedback, ensuring the temperature remains within the effective therapeutic window that reliably modulates pain without causing damage
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the cryogen delivery rate and duration based on real-time temperature measurements and tissue response, allowing the treatment to adapt to varying tissue properties and achieve reliable pain modulation while maintaining safety
3Speed
If cryogen is delivered at high flow rates to achieve rapid temperature reduction, then the speed of pain modulation is improved, but the control precision over temperature is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses periodic or pulsed cryogen delivery rather than continuous high-flow delivery, allowing the tissue temperature to be gradually reduced through controlled cycles of cooling. This periodic action maintains rapid overall temperature reduction while providing precise control over the final temperature achieved
Solution Approach 2:
Real-time temperature feedback allows the system to modulate cryogen flow rate dynamically, increasing flow when rapid cooling is needed and decreasing flow when the target temperature is approached, thus achieving both speed and precision in temperature control
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 apparatus effectively modulates pain by freezing neurological tissues without causing permanent damage, achieving targeted temperature ranges and controlled iceball sizes through precise cryogen delivery and sensor feedback.
Implementation Method 1
Heat from the tissue passes from the tissue, through the probe, and into the cryogen that removes heat from the targeted tissue
Implementation Method 2
This removal of heat causes tissue to freeze, resulting in the destruction of the targeted tissue
Implementation Method 3
The needle may define a Joule-Thompson expansion chamber at a distal end thereof
Data Source
AI summary
A cryo-treatment apparatus includes a cryoprobe assembly with a needle for insertion at a target tissue, a cryogen delivery apparatus fluidly connected to the cryoprobe assembly, and a cryo-treatment control apparatus comprising at least one processor and memory, wherein the cryo-treatment control apparatus is configured to: obtain cryoprobe operating information from one or more sensors positioned in the needle of the cryoprobe, the cryoprobe operating information characterizing one or more operating parameters of the cryoprobe, deliver a cryogen to the cryoprobe to produce a cryo-treatment zone in an area of the target tissue, the cryo-treatment zone having a treatment temperature range of about −50 degrees C. to about −100 degrees C., and maintain the cryo-treatment zone in the treatment temperature range for a predetermined period of time.