Modular Cooling-Heating System Adaptive Temperature Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for rapidly cooling a patient's core body temperature during medical emergencies are cumbersome, ineffective, and often lead to temperature overshooting, causing harm and are invasive, impractical, and costly.
Innovation Solution
A modular cooling-heating system with adaptive temperature control that uses a pump, fluid reservoir, and computer-controlled heaters to deliver temperature-controlled fluids to heat exchangers, allowing for precise control of body temperature without overshooting, and includes a modular support device for easy mobility and integration with other medical equipment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If current cooling methods are used to rapidly cool a patient's core body temperature, then cooling speed is improved, but temperature control precision deteriorates leading to overshooting
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates a temperature sensor that continuously monitors the patient's core body temperature and feeds this information back to the controller. The controller adjusts the cooling fluid flow rate and temperature in real-time based on the feedback, preventing temperature overshooting while maintaining rapid cooling capability. This closed-loop feedback mechanism resolves the contradiction between fast cooling and precise temperature control.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts cooling parameters (fluid flow rate, fluid temperature) based on the patient's real-time temperature status. The controller modifies these parameters continuously during the cooling process, transitioning from aggressive initial cooling to finer controlled cooling as the target temperature approaches, thereby achieving both rapid cooling and precise temperature control.
2Reliability
If invasive cooling methods are used, then cooling effectiveness is improved, but device complexity and invasiveness worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses a heat exchange catheter as an intermediary device that can be inserted into a large vein (such as the inferior vena cava) to cool the blood indirectly. This intermediary approach provides effective core body cooling without requiring direct intervention in critical organs or complex surgical procedures, thus maintaining high cooling effectiveness while reducing invasiveness and surgical complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs hydraulic principles by circulating cooled fluid through the heat exchange catheter to transfer heat from the blood to the cooling fluid. This hydraulic heat exchange mechanism provides reliable and effective cooling with a relatively simple device structure, avoiding the need for complex mechanical or surgical interventions.
3Loss of time
If rapid cooling is implemented, then treatment timeliness is improved, but risk of harmful effects worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The continuous temperature monitoring and feedback control mechanism ensures that cooling is stopped or adjusted immediately when the target temperature is reached or exceeded, preventing harmful temperature overshooting. This real-time feedback enables rapid cooling treatment while minimizing the risk of temperature-related harm to the patient.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates safety features and control algorithms that anticipate potential harmful effects before they occur. The controller is programmed with safety parameters and automatically adjusts cooling intensity to prevent harmful effects, providing a cushion against potential damage while maintaining rapid cooling capability.
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 system provides safe, cost-effective, and practical control of patient body temperature, reducing the risk of temperature-related complications and improving patient outcomes by maintaining precise temperature control during surgical procedures.
Implementation Method 1
a pump for pumping fluid to a heater exchanger
Implementation Method 2
two or more heaters for heating the fluid
Implementation Method 3
supplying temperature-controlled fluids to heat exchangers during surgical operations
Data Source
AI summary
A modular cooling-heating system for use in the controlled delivery of temperature-controlled fluids to a heat exchanger associated with the blood of a patient undergoing a medical procedure is described, wherein the cooling-heating system uses adaptive temperature control protocols.