APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR LOCALIZED HYPOTHERMIA OF THE PANCREAS
Thermal therapy systems, devices, and methods of using the same disclosed. A localized hypothermia of the pancreas with a delivery and placement procedure in the stomach of a patient comprising a cooling balloon system is disclosed that can be used for the treatment of pancreatitis in a patient. The cooling balloon system can have mechanisms for affecting the pancreas without impacting or inducing hypothermia in the patient in a systemic fashion. The localized hypothermia system can have a simplified delivery system and can be intended to reduce patient discomfort while reducing the metabolic activity of the inflamed pancreas of the patient.
1 . A method of changing a temperature of a gastrointestinal tract caudal of a gastroesophageal junction of the gastrointestinal tract via a catheter, the method comprising:
inserting 50 cm-300 cm of the catheter into a stomach of the gastrointestinal tract; and
adding or removing a fluid from the catheter through an inflow port and an outflow port with 10-100 Watts of cooling or warming power.
2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising changing the temperature of the gastrointestinal tract caudal of the gastroesophageal junction of the gastrointestinal tract via the 50 cm-300 cm of the catheter inserted into the stomach.
3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising circulating the fluid through an inflow lumen and an outflow lumen that extend through the 50 cm-300 cm of the catheter inserted into the stomach.
4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the fluid has a temperature greater than degrees Celsius or wherein the fluid has a temperature less than 37 degrees Celsius.
5 . The method of claim 4 , further comprising increasing and/or decreasing the temperature of the gastrointestinal tract caudal of the gastroesophageal junction of the gastrointestinal tract by 1 degree Celsius to 20 degrees Celsius.
6 . The method of claim 4 , further comprising increasing and/or decreasing a temperature of a wall of the gastrointestinal tract caudal of the gastroesophageal junction of the gastrointestinal tract by 1 degree Celsius to 20 degrees Celsius.
7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the wall of the gastrointestinal tract caudal of the gastroesophageal junction of the gastrointestinal tract is adjacent to a pancreas.
8 . A method of changing a temperature of a gastrointestinal tract caudal of a gastroesophageal junction of the gastrointestinal tract, the method comprising:
positioning a first section of a catheter in a stomach of the gastrointestinal tract; and
transferring heat to or from the gastrointestinal tract comprising recirculating a fluid through an inflow lumen and an outflow lumen in the first section of the catheter,
wherein a length of the first section of the catheter is greater than a length of a greater curvature of the stomach.
9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein transferring the heat to and/or from the gastrointestinal tract comprises transferring the heat to and/or from the gastrointestinal tract via the first section of the catheter in the stomach.
10 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the length of the first section of the catheter is greater than the greater curvature of the stomach concurrent with the transferring of the heat to and/or from the gastrointestinal tract.
11 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the length of the first section of the catheter is 10 cm-300 cm greater than the greater curvature of the stomach.
12 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the length of the first section of the catheter in the stomach (Lc) is N times greater than the length of the greater curvature of the stomach (Ls) as represented by equation Lc=NLs, and wherein N is a positive real number comprising 1.00-20.00.
13 . The method of claim 8 , wherein a distal end of the catheter comprises the first section of the catheter, and wherein a proximal end of the catheter comprises the first section of the catheter.
14 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the fluid has a temperature greater than 37 degrees Celsius or wherein the fluid has a temperature less than 37 degrees Celsius.
15 . A method of changing a temperature of a gastrointestinal tract caudal of a gastroesophageal junction of the gastrointestinal tract, the method comprising:
positioning a length of a lumen in a stomach of the gastrointestinal tract; and
passing a fluid through the length of the lumen at a flow rate over a treatment period, wherein the flow rate is at least 20 mL/min and the treatment period is at least 2 hours,
wherein the length of the lumen in the stomach comprises 30 cm-150 cm.
16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein a volume of the length of the lumen in the gastrointestinal tract comprises 2.0 mL-50.0 mL.
17 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the flow rate is less than 200 mL/min and/or wherein the treatment period comprises 2 hours to 31 days.
18 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising passing 4 L-9,000 L of the fluid through the length of the lumen.
19 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising flowing the fluid through the length of the lumen in the stomach at a flow rate comprising 20 mL/min-200 mL/min.
20 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the lumen comprises a first lumen, the method further comprising:
positioning a length of a second lumen in the stomach; and
passing the fluid through the length of the second lumen at the flow rate over the treatment period,
wherein the length of the second lumen in the stomach comprises 30 cm-150 cm,
wherein the first lumen comprises an inflow lumen and wherein the second lumen comprises an outflow lumen, and
wherein the first lumen and the second lumen merge with each other at a merge point, and wherein the merge point is inside the catheter.