Fever regulation method and apparatus
View Patent ↗A device and method for providing body cooling for treating fever. The cooling device applies cooling to blood flowing in a vein or artery, e.g., the vena cavae, that is then distributed throughout the body.
1. A method for treating fever in a patient's body intravascularly, comprising:
providing a catheter having a flexible cooling element attached to a distal end thereof, wherein the catheter is flexible enough to navigate vasculature from the fernoral insertion point to an internal carotid artery;
inserting the catheter through the vascular system of a patient with a fever to place the flexible cooling element in a vein that drains into the heart of a patient;
circulating fluid through the cooling clement;
transferring heat from the blood in the vein to the flexible cooling clement; and
thereby lowering the temperature of the patient.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the catheter includes flexible elements separated by inflexibie elements.