High efficiency heat exchange catheters for control of patient body temperature

1. A catheter device comprising:

an elongate catheter having a proximal end, a distal end, at least one inflow lumen, at least one outflow lumen and a longitudinal axis;

a first tube having a proximal end and a distal end, said first tube being coiled in a series of elongated loops each of which has a first length axis and a first width axis, the first length axis being longer than the first width axis;

a second tube having a proximal end and a distal end, said second tube being coiled in a series of elongated loops each of which has a second length axis and a second width axis, the second length axis being longer than the second width axis;

at least one elongated loop of the first tube being positioned to extend around a section of the catheter, the first length axis of the at least one elongated loop of the first tube being transverse to the longitudinal axis of the catheter; and

at least one elongated loop of the second tube being positioned to extend around said section of the catheter, the second length axis of the at least one elongated loop of the second tube being transverse to the longitudinal axis of the catheter, wherein the second length axis of the at least one elongated loop of the second tube is substantially parallel to the first width axis of the at least one elongated loop of the first tube;

wherein the first and second tubes are connected to the inflow and outflow lumens such that a fluid will circulate in the inflow lumen, through said first and second tubes and out of the outflow lumen.

2. A catheter device according to claim 1 wherein elongated loops have shapes selected from: rectangular, rounded-corner rectangular, oval, ovoid, triangle, and oblong polygonal.

3. A catheter device according to claim 1 wherein:

a plurality of elongated loops of the first tube extend around said section of the catheter such that the length axis of each is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the catheter; and

a plurality of elongated loops of the second tube extend around said section of the catheter such that the length axis of each is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the catheter and nonparallel to the length axes of the elongated loops of the first tube.

4. A catheter device according to claim 3 wherein said plurality of elongated loops of the first tube comprise all elongated loops of the first tube and said plurality of elongated loops of the second tube comprise all elongated loops of the second tube.

5. A catheter device according to claim 3 wherein the elongated loops are in a row wherein elongated loops of the first tube alternate with the elongated loops of the second tube.

6. A catheter device according to claim 1 wherein the length axis of said at least one elongated loop of the second tube is substantially perpendicular to the length axis of said at least one elongated loop of the first tube.

7. A catheter device according to claim 1 wherein the elongated loops are configured such that when the catheter device is inserted into the vasculature of a patient, the elongated loops will cause blood to flow in a non-laminar or self-mixing manner.

8. A catheter device according to claim 7 wherein the elongated loops are configured such that blood may flow through the elongate loops.