Systems and methods for thermal treatment of tissue

US12383422B2 · US · B2

Patent metadata
FieldValue
Publication numberUS-12383422-B2
Application numberUS-201816478839-A
CountryUS
Kind codeB2
Filing dateJan 19, 2018
Priority dateJan 19, 2017
Publication dateAug 12, 2025
Grant dateAug 12, 2025

How to read this patent

A practical reading order for non-experts. Skip the full description unless you need deep technical detail.

  1. Title

    What the patent document calls the invention.

  2. Abstract

    A short plain-language summary of the technical disclosure.

  3. Assignees and inventors

    Who owns or filed the patent and who is credited as inventor.

  4. Key dates

    Filing, priority, publication, and grant dates set the timeline.

  5. First independent claim

    The legal scope of protection — read this for what is actually claimed.

  6. CPC / IPC classifications

    Technology tags used to group this patent with similar filings.

  7. Citations and related patents

    Prior art links and similar publications in this corpus.

Abstract

Official abstract text for this publication.

Systems and methods for a medical device configured to provide cooling to a tissue region are provided. The medical device may be configured to noninvasively or invasively cool the tissue region to a predetermined operating temperature via a two-phase heat transfer process.

First claim

Opening claim text (preview).

We claim: 1. A noninvasive medical device configured to provide cooling to a tissue region, the noninvasive medical device comprising: a top plate; a bottom plate including a contact surface; an evaporative structure arranged between the top plate and the bottom plate configured to receive a working fluid, wherein the evaporative structure is configured to promote evaporation of the working fluid to cool the contact surface; and an opening extending through the top plate, the bottom plate, and the evaporative structure, wherein the opening enables fractional heat treatment to be performed on the tissue region via the opening. 2. The noninvasive medical device of claim 1 , wherein further comprising a plurality of openings arranged in a fractional pattern of the fractional medical treatment. 3. The noninvasive medical device of claim 1 , wherein the top plate, the bottom plate, and the evaporative structure is included in a base that includes a plurality of array tiles each including a plurality of array units, wherein the plurality of array units each include a proximal end, a distal end, and a portion of a plurality of channels arranged thereon. 4. The noninvasive medical device of claim 1 , wherein the evaporative structure is in the form of a porous substrate. 5. The noninvasive medical device of claim 1 , wherein the evaporative structure is in the form of a metal foam. 6. The noninvasive medical device of claim 1 , wherein the evaporative structure is in the form of a plurality of channels extending from the opening. 7. The noninvasive medical device of claim 1 , wherein the contact surface defines at least one of a concave shape, a convex shape, or a plurality of peaks and valleys. 8. The noninvasive medical device of claim 1 , wherein the contact surface includes a plurality of protrusions extending therefrom. 9. The noninvasive medical device of claim 1 , wherein the bottom plate defines at least one of a horseshoe shape, a banana shape, or an annular shape. 10. The noninvasive medical device of claim 1 , wherein the opening is sealed between the top first plate and the bottom plate. 11. The noninvasive medical device of claim 1 , wherein the working fluid is supplied to the evaporative structure from a fluid source. 12. The noninvasive medical device of claim 1 , wherein the working fluid is at least one of a hydrocarbon, a hydrofluorocarbon, an alcohol, or water. 13. A medical device configured to provide cooling to a tissue region, the medical device comprising: an evaporative structure including: a plurality of channels each configured to receive a working fluid; and a plurality of apertures extending through the evaporative structure, the plurality of apertures to enable fractional heat treatment to be performed on the tissue region via the plurality of apertures; and a contact surface in engagement with the evaporative structure, wherein the plurality of apertures extend through the contact surface, and wherein heat from the contact surface is transferred to the evaporative structure to evaporate the working fluid in the plurality of channels and provide cooling to the contact surface adjacent to the plurality of apertures. 14. The medical device of claim 13 , wherein the working fluid is supplied to the plurality of channels from a fluid source. 15. The medical device of claim 13 , wherein the working fluid is at least one of a hydrocarbon, a hydrofluorocarbon, an alcohol, or water. 16. The medical device of claim 13 , wherein the contact surface defines at least one of a concave shape, a convex shape, or a plurality of peaks and valleys. 17. The medical device of claim 13 , wherein the contact surface includes a plurality of protrusions extending therefrom. 18. The medical device of claim 13 , wherein a bottom plate of the medical device defines at least one of a horseshoe shape, a banana shape, or an annular shape. 19. The medical device of claim 13 , wherein the evaporative structure is sealed between a top plate and a bottom plate, and wherein the contact surface is formed on the bottom plate. 20. The medical device of claim 19 , wherein the plurality of apertures extend through the top plate and the bottom plate.

Assignees

Inventors

Classifications

  • for invasive application, e.g. for introducing into blood vessels · CPC title

  • with a fluid permeable layer · CPC title

  • with a thermometer · CPC title

  • evaporating on the spot to be cooled · CPC title

  • evaporating on or near the spot to be cooled · CPC title

Patent family

Related publications grouped by family.

External sources

Frequently asked questions

Answers are generated from the same data shown on this page.

What does patent US12383422B2 cover?
Systems and methods for a medical device configured to provide cooling to a tissue region are provided. The medical device may be configured to noninvasively or invasively cool the tissue region to a predetermined operating temperature via a two-phase heat transfer process.
Who is the assignee on this patent?
Massachusetts Gen Hospital
What technology area does this patent fall under?
Primary CPC classification A61F7/00. Mapped technology areas include Human Necessities.
When was this patent published?
Publication date Tue Aug 12 2025 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) (B2). Legal status and post-grant events are not shown on this page.
What related patents are in patentsdb?
We list 6 related publications on this page (citations in our corpus or others sharing the same primary CPC).