Lung Tissue Heating via Electromagnetic Fields
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current non-surgical methods for treating lung diseases like emphysema, such as radiation therapy and RF ablation, face challenges in precisely targeting diseased areas without overheating healthy tissue or surrounding organs, and require precise location of ablation devices, limiting their effectiveness.
Innovation Solution
The method employs electromagnetic fields for dielectric or eddy current heating, leveraging the higher blood flow in healthy lung tissue to selectively heat diseased areas, minimizing heat transfer to adjacent tissues by switching the direction of electromagnetic energy and using heat-activated drugs to enhance treatment efficacy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If RF or microwave ablation is used to heat diseased lung tissue, then the diseased area can be destroyed, but healthy surrounding tissue is also heated and damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by exploiting the differential blood flow characteristics between diseased and healthy lung tissue. Healthy tissue with normal blood supply acts as a heat sink, actively cooling itself, while diseased tissue with reduced blood flow cannot dissipate heat effectively and thus accumulates thermal energy. This creates locally differentiated thermal responses without requiring spatially selective energy delivery.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs self-service by allowing healthy lung tissue to cool itself through its own blood circulation system. The natural physiological function of blood flow in healthy tissue serves as an automatic cooling mechanism, eliminating the need for external cooling systems or active temperature control in healthy areas.
2Ease of operation
If ablation devices are inserted through trachea and bronchi to treat lung disease, then direct access to diseased tissue is achieved, but only a small part of the lung is accessible and precise mapping and location are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical approach of physically inserting ablation devices through trachea and bronchi with a non-contact electromagnetic field approach. Instead of mechanically navigating probes to precise locations, the system uses externally applied electromagnetic fields that penetrate the chest wall and selectively heat diseased tissue based on its thermal properties, eliminating the need for complex device positioning and mapping procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent achieves universality by creating a treatment system that can address multiple diseased areas throughout the lung simultaneously without requiring separate access routes. The electromagnetic field approach can treat various regions of the lung through the chest wall, making the system applicable to extensive or multifocal disease without increasing procedural complexity.
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
This approach allows for effective volume reduction of diseased lung tissue without significantly heating healthy areas, enabling improved lung function by collapsing and re-inflating the lung, with the potential for reduced recovery time and fewer treatment sessions.
Implementation Method 1
exposing the lung to an electromagnetic field causing dielectric or eddy current heating
Implementation Method 2
exposing the lung to an electromagnetic field causing dielectric or eddy current heating
Implementation Method 3
The diseased area(s) will heat up rapidly while the healthy tissue will be cooled by the blood flow
Data Source
AI summary
The invention can selectively heat a diseased area in the lung while minimizing heating to the healthy area and surrounding tissue. This is done by exposing the lung to an electromagnetic field causing dielectric or eddy current heating. The invention is particularly useful for treating emphysema as the diseased areas have reduced blood flow. The diseased area will heat up rapidly while the healthy tissue will be cooled by the blood flow. This is particularly effective for treating emphysema because of the low mass of the lungs and the high blood flow. To avoid heating of surrounding organs the direction of the electromagnetic energy is switched in a way it always passes through lungs but only intermittently passes through adjacent organs. If heat activated drugs are present in the lungs, they are selectively released in the heated tissue.