Method to detect changes in a patient's endogenous temperature set-point during externally induced targeted temperature management

1. A method comprising:

measuring an amount of heat being gained or lost by a heat transfer fluid as it circulates through a body heat exchange subsystem of a targeted temperature control device that is maintaining a patient body temperature at a target temperature; and

determining whether a change in the measured amount of heat being gained or lost indicates that an endogenous thermoregulatory mechanism of the patient is seeking to raise or lower said patient body temperature but is prevented from doing so because said patient body temperature is being maintained at said target temperature by said targeted temperature control device.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the determining, step comprises:

measuring an amount of energy utilized by targeted temperature management device to warm or cool the heat transfer fluid in order to maintain said body temperature at said target temperature.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein the determining step comprises:

determining changes in an amount of heat transfer fluid that must be circulated through the body heat exchange subsystem to maintain said body temperature at the target temperature.

4. A method according to claim 1 wherein the determining step comprises:

determining changes in the amount of heat that the targeted temperature management device must add to or remove from the heat transfer fluid to maintain said body temperature at the target temperature.

5. A method according to claim 1 wherein the determining step comprises:

equating a magnitude of change in the measured amount of heat being gained or lost by the heat transfer fluid as it circulates through the body heat exchange subsystem with an expected body temperature that would presently be attained if said body temperature were not being maintained at said target temperature by the targeted temperature management device.

6. A method according to claim 5 wherein said equating step comprises:

using a mathematical formula to calculate said expected body temperature based on the magnitude of change in the measured amount of heat being gained or lost by the heat transfer fluid as it circulates through the body heat exchange subsystem as well as one or more other variables selected from: i) patient body mass and ii) the presence of, absence of, or change in a patient biomarker.

7. A method according to claim 5 wherein the targeted temperature management device includes a processor programmed to perform the equating step and wherein the equating step is performed by said processor.

8. A method according to claim 1 wherein the targeted temperature management device includes a display and wherein the method further comprises:

causing the display to display a clinically useful indicia of changes in a patient's endogenous thermoregulatory set point temperature.

9. A method according to claim 8 wherein the display provides a graphic display of an estimated endogenous thermoregulatory set point temperature of the patient as a function of time, magnitude of change from baseline, or both.

10. A method comprising:

measuring changes in an amount of heat being added to or removed from a patient's body by a targeted temperature management device in order to hold a body temperature of the patient at a target temperature;

using the measured changes in the amount of heat being added to or removed from the patient's body to calculate corresponding changes which would be expected to occur in said body temperature if said body temperature were not being held said a target temperature by the targeted temperature management device;

providing notice of said calculated corresponding changes.

11. A method according to claim 10 wherein the step of measuring changes in the amount of heat being added to or removed from the patient's body by the targeted temperature management device in order to hold said body temperature at said target temperature comprises at least one of: i) determining a difference in temperature of heat exchange fluid flowing into a body heat exchange subsystem of the targeted temperature management device and heat exchange fluid flowing out of that body heat exchange subsystem; ii) determining changes in flowrate of heat exchange fluid being circulated through the body heat exchange subsystem; and iii) determining changes in an amount of energy expended by the targeted temperature management device to maintain the target body temperature.

12. A method according to claim 10 wherein the using step comprises applying a mathematical formula to calculate said corresponding changes which would be expected to occur in said body temperature based on a) a magnitude of the measured changes in the amount of heat being added to or removed from the patient's body taking into account contemporaneous changes in one or more other variables selected from: i) patient body mass and ii) a presence of, absence of, or change in a patient biomarker.

13. A method according to claim 10 wherein the temperature management device includes a display and wherein, the step of providing notice of said calculated corresponding changes comprises causing the display to display an indication of change in an endogenous set point temperature of the patient as a function of time, magnitude of change from baseline, or both.

14. A method according to claim 10 wherein the temperature management device includes a processor programmed to perform the equating and providing steps.

15. A targeted temperature management system useable to maintain a body temperature of a patient at or within a permissible range of a target temperature, said system comprising:

a body heat exchange subsystem positionable on or in the body of said patient;

extracorporeal heat exchange apparatus for warming or cooling a heat exchange fluid;

a first flow path for carrying warmed or cooled beat exchange fluid from the extracorporeal heat exchange apparatus into the body heat exchange subsystem;

a second flow path for returning the heat exchange fluid from the body heat exchange subsystem back to the extracorporeal heat exchange apparatus;

a pump for circulating the heat exchange fluid from the extracorporeal heat exchange apparatus, through the first flow path, through the body heat exchange subsystem, through the second flow path and back to the extracorporeal heat exchange apparatus;

apparatus for measuring an amount of heat being added to or removed from the patient's body by the targeted temperature management device in order, to maintain the patient's actual body temperature at or within said the permissible range of the target temperature;

a body temperature sensor for sensing a body temperature;

a display; and

a processor which, during operation of the system, receives signals from the apparatus for measuring said amount of heat being added to or removed from the patient's body and is programmed to a) determine whether those signals indicate that an endogenous thermoregulatory mechanism of the patient is seeking to raise or lower said body temperature but has not done so because said body temperature is being maintained at or within said permissible range of said target temperature by the body heat exchange subsystem, and b) cause the display to display an indication of that determination.

16. A system according to claim 15 wherein the apparatus for measuring the amount of heat being added to or removed from the patient's body is selected from i) apparatus for measuring a difference between a temperature of heat exchange fluid flowing into the body heat exchanger and a temperature heat exchange fluid flowing out of the body heat exchange subsystem; ii) apparatus for measuring changes in the amount of heat exchange fluid being circulated through the body heat exchange subsystem; and iii) apparatus for measuring changes in an amount of energy expended by the targeted temperature management system to maintain the body temperature of said patient at or within said permissible range of said target temperature.

17. A system according to claim 15 wherein the processor is programmed to determine whether said measured changes in the amount of heat being added to or removed from the patient's body indicate that an endogenous thermoregulatory mechanism of the patient is seeking to raise or lower said body temperature based on a) the magnitude of the determined change in the amount of heat being gained or lost by the heat transfer fluid and b) one or more other variables selected from: i) patient body mass and ii) the presence of, absence of, or change in a patient biomarker.

18. A system according to claim 15 wherein the processor is programmed to cause the display to display an expected body temperature that would be present if the temperature management system were not maintaining said body temperature at or within said permissible range of said target body temperature.

19. A system according to claim 15 wherein the body heat exchange subsystem comprises a heat exchange catheter.

20. A system according to claim 14 wherein the body heat exchange subsystem comprises a blanket or adhesive pad.

21. A method according to claim 1 wherein said target temperature comprises a temperature range.

22. A method according to claim 10 wherein said target temperature comprises a temperature range.