Thermal control system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11116656-B2
Application number	US-201715616574-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 7, 2017
Priority date	Jun 7, 2016
Publication date	Sep 14, 2021
Grant date	Sep 14, 2021

Abstract

A thermal control unit controls the temperature of a fluid delivered to one or more thermal transfer devices (e.g. thermal pads) in contact with a patient. The thermal control unit generates thermal data while being used to treat the patient and is adapted to receive thermal history data previously generated by a different thermal control unit in the treatment of that patient. Both the current and previous thermal data are displayable on the thermal control unit currently being used, thereby giving the caregiver a complete picture of the thermal history of the patient. The thermal control unit may also be adapted to transmit its thermal data, as well as the thermal history data previously received from the other thermal control unit, to still another thermal control unit. The thermal history data transfer may take place via a cable, wirelessly, by a portable flash drive, or by other means.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A thermal control unit for supplying temperature controlled fluid to a thermal pad, the thermal control unit comprising:
a fluid outlet adapted to fluidly couple to a fluid supply line;
a fluid inlet adapted to fluidly couple to a fluid return line;
a heat exchanger;
a pump for circulating the fluid from the fluid inlet through the heat exchanger and to the fluid outlet;
a transceiver;
a memory;
a display; and
a controller adapted to receive previous thermal history data from a secondary thermal device via the transceiver and to display the previous thermal history data on the display in a first manner, the previous thermal history data having been generated by the secondary thermal device during thermal treatment of a patient, wherein the controller is further adapted to record primary thermal history data generated by the thermal control unit during thermal treatment of the patient with the thermal control unit and to display the primary thermal history data on the display in a second manner, the first manner being different from the second manner such that a viewer of the display is provided a visual indication of whether displayed thermal history data corresponds to the primary thermal history data or the previous thermal history data; and wherein the controller is still further adapted to record a time at which the previous thermal history data was received from the secondary thermal device and to display the time on the display.

2. The thermal control unit of claim 1 wherein the previous thermal history data includes at least two of the following data items: a patient target temperature; a fluid target temperature; a plurality of previous patient temperature readings; a plurality of previous fluid temperature readings; a time at which previous thermal treatment started; a time at which previous thermal treatment ended; a flow rate of the fluid; a rate of change of a patient's temperature; a rate of change of the fluid's temperature; a time at which a plurality of temperature readings were taken; an alarm; and an identification of the secondary thermal device.

3. The thermal control unit of claim 1 further comprising a port in communication with the transceiver, the port adapted to receive a physical communication medium that delivers the previous thermal history data to the transceiver.

4. The thermal control unit of claim 1 wherein the controller is adapted to forward both the primary thermal history data and the previous thermal history data to another device.

5. The thermal control unit of claim 1 wherein the controller receives the previous thermal history data without any information identifying the patient to which the previous thermal history data corresponds.

6. The thermal control unit of claim 1 wherein the secondary thermal device is adapted to control a temperature of the patient being treated by the secondary thermal device.

7. The thermal control unit of claim 6 wherein the secondary thermal device includes a pump, a heat exchanger, and a fluid whose temperature is controlled by the heat exchanger of the secondary thermal device.

8. The thermal control unit of claim 6 wherein the controller is adapted to receive the previous thermal history data directly from the secondary thermal device.

9. The thermal control unit of claim 1 further comprising a user interface adapted to enable a user of the thermal control unit to allow or disallow receiving the previous thermal history data.

10. A thermal control unit for supplying temperature controlled fluid to a thermal pad, the thermal control unit comprising:
a fluid outlet adapted to fluidly couple to a fluid supply line;
a fluid inlet adapted to fluidly couple to a fluid return line;
a heat exchanger;
a pump for circulating the fluid from the fluid inlet through the heat exchanger and to the fluid outlet;
a transceiver;
a memory;
a display; and
a controller adapted to receive previous thermal history data from a secondary thermal device via the transceiver and to display the previous thermal history data on the display in a first manner, the previous thermal history data having been generated by the secondary thermal device during thermal treatment of a patient, wherein the controller is further adapted to record primary thermal history data generated by the thermal control unit during thermal treatment of the patient with the thermal control unit and to display the primary thermal history data on the display in a second manner, the first manner being different from the second manner such that a viewer of the display is provided a visual indication of whether displayed thermal history data corresponds to the primary thermal history data or the previous thermal history data;
and wherein the controller is still further adapted to prevent the fluid from being pumped out of the fluid outlet until the previous thermal history data is received by the controller or a user provides an indication to the controller that no previous thermal history data is available.

11. The thermal control unit of claim 10 wherein the previous thermal history data includes at least two of the following data items: a patient target temperature; a fluid target temperature; a plurality of previous patient temperature readings; a plurality of previous fluid temperature readings; a time at which previous thermal treatment started; a time at which previous thermal treatment ended; a flow rate of the fluid; a rate of change of a patient's temperature; a rate of change of the fluid's temperature; a time at which a plurality of temperature readings were taken; an alarm; and an identification of the secondary thermal device.

12. The thermal control unit of claim 11 further comprising a port in communication with the transceiver, the port adapted to receive a physical communication medium that delivers the previous thermal history data to the transceiver.

13. The thermal control unit of claim 10 wherein the controller is adapted to forward both the primary thermal history data and the previous thermal history data to another device.

14. A thermal control unit for supplying temperature controlled fluid to a thermal pad, the thermal control unit comprising:
a fluid outlet adapted to fluidly couple to a fluid supply line for the thermal pad;
a fluid inlet adapted to fluidly couple to a fluid return line for the thermal pad;
a heat exchanger;
a pump for circulating the fluid from the fluid inlet through the heat exchanger and to the fluid outlet;
a transceiver;
a first memory;
a controller adapted to record thermal data in the first memory relating to therapy applied to a patient using the thermal pad, the controller also adapted to transfer the thermal data via the transceiver to a second memory off-board the thermal control unit, the second memory being physically coupled to the thermal pad; and
a clock in communication with the controller, wherein the controller is adapted to record a time at which the thermal data is transferred to the second memory and to forward the recorded time to the second memory.

15. The thermal control unit of claim 14 wherein the thermal data includes at least two of the following data items: a patient target temperature; a fluid target temperature; a patient temperature reading; a fluid temperature reading; a time at which thermal treatment started; a time at which thermal treatment ended; a flow rate of the fluid; a rate of change of the patient's temperature; a rate of change of the fluid's temperature; a time at which a temperature reading was taken; an alarm; and an identification of the thermal control u

Assignees

• Stryker Corp

Inventors

• Taylor Gregory S
• Hopper Christopher John
• Constant Marco

Classifications

• A61F2007/0056

  for cooling · CPC title

• A61F2007/0086

  with a thermostat · CPC title

• A61F2007/0096

  with a thermometer · CPC title

• A61F2007/0094

  using a remote control · CPC title

• A61F7/08

  Warming pads, pans or mats; Hot-water bottles · CPC title