Cooling and refrigeration based on vacuum driven water evaporation
阅读说明：本技术 基于真空驱动水蒸发的冷却和致冷 (Cooling and refrigeration based on vacuum driven water evaporation ) 是由 J·奥康纳 C·奥康纳 E·希茨 于 2020-04-10 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及一种用于冷却物体、空间或患者组织的设备。真空室被设计成靠着待冷却的物体或空间放置,或靠着待治疗的患者放置。喷水器构造成将水喷射到真空室中或向该室的冷却壁喷射。真空泵和控制器被设计成在真空室中维持低于环境压力的真空,该真空足以引起水的加速蒸发并冷却至冷却物体、空间或患者所需的温度。(The present invention relates to an apparatus for cooling an object, a space or patient tissue. The vacuum chamber is designed to be placed against the object or space to be cooled, or against the patient to be treated. The water spray is configured to spray water into the vacuum chamber or toward a cooled wall of the chamber. The vacuum pump and controller are designed to maintain a vacuum in the vacuum chamber that is below ambient pressure sufficient to cause accelerated evaporation of water and cooling to a temperature required to cool an object, space or patient.)
1. An apparatus for cooling an object or space, comprising:
a vacuum chamber having a cooling wall designed to be placed against an object or space to be cooled;
a water sprayer designed to spray water into the vacuum chamber or toward the stave;
means designed to maintain a vacuum in the vacuum chamber sufficient to cause accelerated evaporation of water and cooling of the stave to a temperature required to cool the object or space.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
the vacuum chamber is formed as an open vacuum bell which is open on one side to seal against the tissue, object or space.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
the vacuum chamber is formed as a vacuum bell sealed to a flat, thermally conductive platen designed to be placed in thermal contact with the tissue, object or space.
4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein:
the platen is coated with a non-metallic non-stick release material designed to prevent adhesion and consequent tissue damage due to freezing of the tissue to be cooled or of water located between the tissue or object and the platen.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
the water has an electrolyte in solution that is selected to lower the freezing point of the water to a desired temperature.
6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
the vacuum chamber comprises one or more thermal sensors; and is
The maintenance of vacuum is controlled by a computer designed to acquire thermal data from the one or more thermal sensors and control one or more of water flow rate, vacuum pressure and electrolyte solution, control the desired cooling temperature and/or cooling rate, and/or correct for various confounding factors in the heat flow into the vacuum chamber.
7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
the tissue to be cooled is a tissue of a human patient.
8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein:
the tissue to be cooled is the adipose tissue of a patient.
9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein:
the cooling of the tissue is designed to relieve pain.
10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein:
the cooling of the tissue is designed to lighten the skin and/or reduce hypopigmentation.
11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein:
the tissue to be cooled is in the gastrointestinal tract.
12. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the tissue to be cooled is in the respiratory tract.
13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein:
the tissue to be cooled comprises goblet cells to be destroyed.
14. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein:
the tissue to be cooled comprises malignant cells to be ablated.
15. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein:
the tissue to be cooled includes unwanted benign cells that are selectively sensitive to cold, and the cooling is designed to destroy these unwanted benign cells.
16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
the space to be cooled is an enclosed space to be cooled to a refrigerating or freezing temperature.
17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
the space to be cooled is a room to be cooled to an air-conditioning temperature.
18. A method of treating a patient comprising the steps of:
providing a vacuum chamber against the patient's tissue requiring cooling for treatment;
spraying water from a sprayer into the vacuum chamber or against a cooled wall of the vacuum chamber;
maintaining a vacuum in the vacuum chamber sufficient to cause accelerated evaporation of water and cooling to a temperature required to cool patient tissue.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein:
the vacuum chamber is formed as a vacuum bell that seals against the patient's flesh.
20. The method of claim 18, wherein:
the vacuum chamber is formed as an open vacuum bell which is open on one side to seal against the tissue, object or space.
21. The method of claim 18, wherein:
the vacuum chamber is formed as an enclosed volume with a cooling wall on one side and the cooling wall is placed in physical contact with the patient's tissue.
22. The method of claim 18, wherein:
the vacuum chamber is formed as a vacuum bell sealed to a flat, thermally conductive platen designed to be placed in thermal contact with the tissue, object or space.
23. The method of claim 22, wherein:
the platen is coated with a non-metallic non-stick release material designed to prevent adhesion and consequent tissue damage due to freezing of the tissue to be cooled or freezing of water between the tissue and the platen.
24. The method of claim 18, wherein:
the water has an electrolyte in solution that is selected to lower the freezing point of the water to a desired temperature.
25. The method of claim 22, wherein:
the vacuum chamber comprises one or more thermal sensors; and is
The maintenance of vacuum is controlled by a computer designed to acquire thermal data from the one or more thermal sensors and control one or more of water flow rate, vacuum pressure and electrolyte solution, control the desired cooling temperature and/or cooling rate, and/or correct for various confounding factors in the heat flow into the vacuum chamber.
26. The method of claim 22, wherein:
the tissue to be cooled is a tissue of a human patient.
27. The method of claim 26, wherein:
the tissue to be cooled is the adipose tissue of a patient.
28. The method of claim 26, wherein:
the cooling of the tissue is designed to relieve pain.
29. The method of claim 26, wherein:
the cooling of the tissue is designed to lighten the skin and/or reduce hypopigmentation.
30. The method of claim 26, wherein:
the tissue to be cooled is in the gastrointestinal tract.
31. The method of claim 26, wherein the tissue to be cooled is in the respiratory tract.
32. The method of claim 31, wherein:
the tissue to be cooled comprises goblet cells to be destroyed.
33. The method of claim 26, wherein:
the tissue to be cooled comprises malignant cells to be ablated.
34. The method of claim 26, wherein:
the tissue to be cooled includes unwanted benign cells that are selectively sensitive to cold, and the cooling is designed to destroy these unwanted benign cells.
35. The method of claim 22, wherein:
the space to be cooled is an enclosed space to be cooled to a refrigerating or freezing temperature.
36. The method of claim 22, wherein:
the space to be cooled is a room to be cooled to an air-conditioning temperature.
37. An apparatus for treating a patient, comprising:
a vacuum chamber having a cooling wall designed to be placed against tissue of a patient requiring cooling for treatment;
a water sprayer designed to spray water toward the cooling wall of the vacuum chamber; and
a vacuum pump and a controller designed to maintain a vacuum in the vacuum chamber sufficient to cause accelerated evaporation of water and cooling to a temperature required to cool patient tissue.
38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein:
the vacuum chamber is formed as a vacuum bell that seals against the patient's flesh.
39. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein:
the vacuum chamber is formed as an open vacuum bell which is open on one side to seal against the tissue, object or space.
40. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein:
the vacuum chamber is formed as an enclosed volume with a cooling wall on one side and the cooling wall is placed in physical contact with the patient's tissue.
41. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein:
the vacuum chamber is formed as a vacuum bell sealed to a flat, thermally conductive platen designed to be in thermal contact with the tissue, object or space.
42. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein:
the platen is coated with a non-metallic non-stick release material designed to prevent adhesion and consequent tissue damage due to freezing of the tissue to be cooled or freezing of water between the tissue and the platen.
43. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein:
the water has an electrolyte in solution that is selected to lower the freezing point of the water to a desired temperature.
44. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein:
the vacuum chamber comprises one or more thermal sensors; and is
The maintenance of vacuum is controlled by a computer designed to acquire thermal data from the one or more thermal sensors and control one or more of water flow rate, vacuum pressure and electrolyte solution, control the desired cooling temperature and/or cooling rate, and/or correct for various confounding factors in the heat flow into the vacuum chamber.
45. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein:
the tissue to be cooled is a tissue of a human patient.
46. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein:
the tissue to be cooled is the adipose tissue of a patient.
47. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein:
the cooling of the tissue is designed to relieve pain.
48. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein:
the cooling of the tissue is designed to lighten the skin and/or reduce hypopigmentation.
49. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein:
the tissue to be cooled is in the gastrointestinal tract.
50. The apparatus according to claim 45, wherein the tissue to be cooled is in the respiratory tract.
51. The apparatus of claim 50, wherein:
the tissue to be cooled comprises goblet cells to be destroyed.
52. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein:
the tissue to be cooled comprises malignant cells to be ablated.
53. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein:
the tissue to be cooled includes unwanted benign cells that are selectively sensitive to cold, and the cooling is designed to destroy these unwanted benign cells.
54. A method of cooling an object or space comprising the steps of:
placing a vacuum chamber in thermal contact with a tissue, object or space to be cooled;
spraying water from a sprayer into the vacuum chamber;
maintaining a vacuum in the vacuum chamber below room ambient pressure sufficient to cause accelerated evaporation of water and cooling of the tissue, object or space to a desired temperature below its ambient temperature.
55. The method of claim 54, wherein:
the vacuum chamber is formed as a vacuum bell that seals against the patient's flesh.
56. The method of claim 54, wherein:
the vacuum chamber is formed as an open vacuum bell which is open on one side to seal against the tissue, object or space.
57. The method of claim 54, wherein:
the vacuum chamber is formed as an enclosed volume with a cooling wall on one side and the cooling wall is placed in physical contact with the patient's tissue.
58. The method of claim 54, wherein:
the vacuum chamber is formed as a vacuum bell sealed to a flat, thermally conductive platen designed to be placed in thermal contact with the tissue, object or space.
59. The method of claim 58, wherein:
the platen is coated with a non-metallic non-stick release material designed to prevent adhesion and consequent tissue damage due to freezing of the tissue to be cooled or freezing of water between the tissue and the platen.
60. The method of claim 54, wherein:
the water has an electrolyte in solution that is selected to lower the freezing point of the water to a desired temperature.
61. The method of claim 54, wherein:
the vacuum chamber comprises one or more thermal sensors; and is
The maintenance of vacuum is controlled by a computer designed to acquire thermal data from the one or more thermal sensors and control one or more of water flow rate, vacuum pressure and electrolyte solution, control the desired cooling temperature and/or cooling rate, and/or correct for various confounding factors in the heat flow into the vacuum chamber.
62. The method of claim 54, wherein:
the tissue to be cooled is a tissue of a human patient.
63. The method of claim 62, wherein:
the tissue to be cooled is the adipose tissue of a patient.
64. The method of claim 62, wherein:
the cooling of the tissue is designed to relieve pain.
65. The method of claim 62, wherein:
the cooling of the tissue is designed to lighten the skin and/or reduce hypopigmentation.
66. The method of claim 62, wherein:
the tissue to be cooled is in the gastrointestinal tract.
67. The method of claim 62, wherein the tissue to be cooled is in the respiratory tract.
68. The method of claim 67, wherein:
the tissue to be cooled comprises goblet cells to be destroyed.
69. The method of claim 62, wherein:
the tissue to be cooled comprises malignant cells to be ablated.
70. The method of claim 62, wherein:
the tissue to be cooled includes unwanted benign cells that are selectively sensitive to cold, and the cooling is designed to destroy these unwanted benign cells.
Background
This application is a non-provisional application entitled "Cooling and refining Based on Vacuum Driven Water Evaporation" U.S. provisional serial No. 62/969,876 filed on day 2, month 4, 2020, a non-provisional application entitled "Cooling and refining Based on Vacuum Driven Water Evaporation" U.S. provisional serial No. 62/880,189 filed on day 7, month 30, 2019, a non-provisional application entitled "Cooling and refining Based on Vacuum Driven Water Evaporation" U.S. provisional serial No. 62/859,767 filed on day 11, 6, month 11, 2019, and non-provisional application No. 62/832,257 entitled "Cooling of Tissue," filed on 2019, month 4 and 10, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
The present application relates to cooling and refrigeration based on vacuum driven water evaporation.
Disclosure of Invention
In general, in a first aspect, the invention features a method. The vacuum chamber is placed against the tissue of the patient that needs to be cooled for medical treatment. Water is sprayed from a spray into the vacuum chamber or onto the cooled walls of the vacuum chamber. A vacuum is maintained in the vacuum chamber sufficient to cause accelerated evaporation of water and cooling to a temperature required to cool the patient's tissue.
In general, in a second aspect, the invention features an apparatus for treating a patient. The vacuum chamber has a cooling wall designed to be placed against the tissue of the patient that needs cooling for treatment. The water spray is designed to spray water into the vacuum chamber. The vacuum pump and controller are designed to maintain a vacuum in the vacuum chamber sufficient to cause accelerated evaporation of water and cooling to a temperature required to cool patient tissue.
In general, in a third aspect, the invention features a method of cooling an object or space. The vacuum chamber is placed in thermal contact with the tissue, object or space to be cooled. Water is sprayed into the vacuum chamber from a sprayer. A vacuum below the ambient pressure within the chamber is maintained in the vacuum chamber sufficient to cause accelerated evaporation of the water and cooling of the tissue, object or space to a desired temperature below its ambient temperature.
In general, in a fourth aspect, the invention features an apparatus for cooling an object or space. The vacuum chamber has a cooling wall designed to be placed against the object or space to be cooled. The water sprayer is configured to spray water into the vacuum chamber or onto the stave. The apparatus is designed to maintain a vacuum below ambient pressure in the vacuum chamber sufficient to cause accelerated evaporation of the water and cooling of the stave to the temperature required to cool the object or space.
Embodiments of the invention may include one or more of the following features. These features may be used alone or in combination with each other. The vacuum chamber may be formed as an open vacuum bell that opens at one side to be sealed to the tissue, object or space. The vacuum chamber may be formed as an enclosed volume with a cooling wall on one side, and the cooling wall may be designed to be in physical contact with an object, space or tissue of a patient. The vacuum chamber may be formed as a vacuum bell sealed to a flat, thermally conductive platen, and the platen may be designed to be in thermal contact with tissue, an object, or a space. The platen may be coated with a non-metallic non-stick peel/release material designed to prevent sticking and consequent tissue damage due to freezing of the tissue to be cooled or freezing of water between the tissue and the platen. The water may maintain an electrolyte in solution that is selected to lower the freezing point of the water to a desired temperature. The vacuum chamber may include one or more thermal sensors. The vacuum may be controlled by a computer designed to obtain thermal data from one or more thermal sensors and to control one or more of the water flow rate, vacuum pressure and electrolyte solution to control the desired temperature and/or cooling rate, and/or to correct for various confounding factors in the heat flow into the vacuum chamber. The tissue to be cooled may be tissue of a human patient, such as adipose tissue, skin, cancerous tissue, malignant cells, undesired benign cells selectively sensitive to cold, or goblet cells. The purpose of the cooling treatment may be to break down fat, reduce pain, lighten the skin and/or reduce hypopigmentation or ablate unwanted tissue. The tissue may be skin in the gastrointestinal tract or respiratory tract. Cooling can be designed to destroy unwanted cells. The space to be cooled may be an enclosed space to be cooled to a refrigerated or frozen temperature. The space to be cooled may be a room to be cooled to the temperature of the air conditioner.
The above advantages and features are merely representative of embodiments and are presented only to aid in understanding the invention. It should be understood that they should not be considered as limitations on the invention as defined by the claims. Additional features and advantages of embodiments of the invention will become apparent in the following description, drawings, and claims.
Drawings
Fig. 1A is a perspective view, partly in section, of a cooling device.
Fig. 1B and 1C are schematic sectional views of the cooling apparatus.
Fig. 2 is a perspective view, partly in section, of a cooling device.
FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view of a body lumen being treated with a catheter.
Fig. 3B, 3C and 3D are perspective views, partially in section, of the catheter tip.
Detailed Description
The specific embodiments are organized as follows.
I. Introduction and summary
Apparatus for vacuum driven evaporative cooling
II.A. vacuum bell sealed against skin
Electrolyte solution as coolant
Use as a refrigeration or air-conditioning system
Cooling for medical and therapeutic applications
IV.A. frozen fat dissolving method
IV.B. vacuum bell sealed against skin
Cooling for analgesia
Cooling for hypopigmentation
Cooling for cold chain of drug delivery
Cooling for in vivo tissue
V. examples
I. Introduction and summary
Referring to fig. 1A and 1B, a vacuum cooling apparatus 100 may be used to cool the selected region 98 by vaporization of a liquid, particularly a liquid having a high enthalpy of vaporization, such as water. The vaporization, and thus the cooling, can be accelerated and controlled by applying a vacuum over the liquid. The vacuum chamber 102 may be formed as an enclosed volume 102 having a conductive side 104 for providing cooling to selected areas, and the apparatus 100 may be arranged to effect evaporation or sublimation of water on the thermally conductive side 104. The vacuum may be drawn into the vacuum chamber 102 that drives the evaporation or sublimation of the liquid. The energy required to provide the vaporization heat is extracted through the thermally conductive side wall 104 of the vacuum chamber 102, thereby lowering the temperature of the conductive side 104, which in turn cools any area 98 on the other side of the conductive wall. The vacuum in the chamber 102 drives the vaporization of the coolant, and the heat of vaporization is then removed from the object 98 to be cooled.
Convection, such as a moving air column, may be used to move the cooling to the desired area. By means of a suitable electric pump and vacuum pump arrangement, the device can be controlled to produce a controlled and precise temperature drop of the conductive plates and thus of the region 98 to be cooled to the desired level.
The device 100 may achieve thermal contact between the cooled conductive elements and the tissue to provide the cooling required for the tissue to a specified temperature. The selected region 98 of the body tissue may be cooled for various diagnostic or therapeutic purposes.
Referring to fig. 1C, the vacuum chamber 102 may be formed by a bell-shaped housing that seals against the skin 98, and the device 100 may be arranged to effect evaporation at the skin surface. A vacuum is drawn in the vacuum chamber 102 that drives the evaporation of the liquid. The energy required to provide the heat of vaporization is extracted from the tissue. As a result, energy is removed from the tissue and the tissue is cooled. The device is controlled to produce a controlled and precise temperature drop of the tissue 98 using a suitable electric and vacuum pumping arrangement 112. In this way, certain tissues, such as adipose tissue, may be disrupted to provide a path for the body to absorb and eliminate tissue. Without the platen 104 carrying the thermal sensor 140, the sensor may be placed on the surface of the object 98 to be cooled, or in the wall of the vacuum bell 110, or elsewhere.
Such refrigeration/cooling devices can be used for a variety of purposes: food storage, medical treatment, drug delivery cold chain, and the like.
Apparatus for vacuum driven evaporative cooling
Referring to fig. 1A and 1B, vacuum driven evaporative cooling can provide the required cooling in a rapid and controlled manner. The vacuum bell 110 may be placed in contact with the thermally conductive platen 104 and sealed at the edges to the platen 104 by using O-rings or similar seals 118 around the edges of the thermally conductive platen 104. The seal 118 prevents or reduces air leakage into the volume 102 enclosed between the platen 104 and the vacuum bell 110, and may provide thermal insulation between the thermally conductive platen 104 and the vacuum bell 110.
The spray device 120 may provide a spray or mist of a liquid 122, preferably a liquid having a high specific heat of vaporization, such as water, that is applied to the outer surface of the platen 104 within the volume 102 between the thermally conductive platen 104 and the vacuum bell 110. The vacuum may be drawn into the volume 102 by a suitable vacuum pump 114, the vacuum pump 114 being connected to the vacuum bell jar 110 by a three-way valve 132 through a gas conducting region such as a hose or pipe 130. Due to the vacuum within the enclosure, the liquid 122 within the volume 102 will vaporize and become a gas, i.e., water vapor if the selected liquid is water. The energy to vaporize the liquid is removed from the thermally conductive platen 104. The energy of the platen 104 is reduced and thus the temperature of the platen is reduced. This in turn cools the tissue or region 98. The three-way valve 132 is adapted to be connected to the vacuum pump 114 or the air inlet 134 to provide vacuum suction from the vacuum pump 114 or to exhaust the chamber 102 using the air inlet 134.
Water may be selected as the liquid to be atomized and then vaporized within the chamber 102. Due to the high vaporization energy of water (2,256 kilojoules per kilogram), a large amount of heat can be removed from the thermally conductive platen 104.
To provide a controllable method of heat dissipation, a sensor such as a thermocouple or RTD (resistance thermometer detector) 140 may be embedded within the thermally conductive platen 104. These sensors may be monitored in real time by a control system, such as a computer analysis system. By measuring the temperature of the platen 104 during the vaporization process, the heat flux exiting the platen 104 can be determined and ensure that the desired temperature of the platen 104 is achieved and maintained during the vacuum driven evaporative cooling process. The temperature, platen temperature reduction, cooling rate and time can be controlled using appropriate sensors, electronics and control systems. The control may take into account various confounding factors such as the initial temperature of the area to be cooled and the material within the area to be cooled.
In one exemplary embodiment:
the sprayers 120 spray water onto the back surface of the thermally conductive platen 104.
οH2The heat of vaporization of O was 2,256J/g.
The platen 104 may be formed of aluminum, which has a high thermal conductivity, but is less costly than, for example, silver.
Size o: 10cm × 5cm × 0.5cm
Quality: 67.5 g
O specific heat 0.90 joules/gram/° c
With a vacuum applied to the tank, the water vaporizes and draws heat from the thermally conductive platen 104.
To maintain the temperature of the platen 104 at the selected temperature, additional small amounts of water may be sprayed and drained during application. Precise control of the aerosolization and expulsion process can be determined by system unit testing and control algorithms included in the device based on the system unit testing using monitored inputs from the sensors 140.
Any air remaining within the vacuum volume may be managed, for example, flowed over the surface of the platen 104 to enhance evaporation or sublimation. A fan may agitate the air or a vacuum suction device 112 (and thus exhaust the water vapour) may be arranged at the inlet to one side and the other of the vacuum chamber to provide a relatively fast change in the amount of air so that evaporation may be improved.
In some cases, the water vapor may be vented to the environment. In other cases, the water vapor may be recaptured, condensed, and recovered in a closed system.
The flash temperature is related to pressure as follows:
temperature F/. degree.C
Pressure (mbar/atm)
70°F/21℃
25mbar/0.024atm
65°F/18.3℃
20.5mbar/0.020atm
60°F/15.6℃
17.4mbar/0.017atm
50°F/10℃
12.5mbar/0.012atm
41°F/5℃
8.7mbar/0.0086atm
32°F/0℃
5.7mbar/0.0056atm
14°F/-10℃
2.6mbar/0.00257atm
-4°F/-20℃
1.0mbar/0.00099atm
From room temperature to freezing, the liquid/solid phase boundary is close enough to logarithmic/linear that every 1 ℃ reduction in temperature requires a pressure reduction of slightly less than 2%.
The platen 104 may be coated (on the vacuum-facing side or the environment-facing side) with a coating material, typically a chemically inert and thermally conductive material. A thin coating of teflon, nylon or some other plastic or resin or some other non-metallic material may be used. The coating can reduce adhesion and tissue damage during cooling. The coating may protect the platen 104 if the coating is formed from a chemically reactive material, such as aluminum.
The interior, vacuum facing side of the platen 104 may have fins, highly cavitated surfaces, or other surface features to increase surface area and evaporation rate.
In some cases, the atomized liquid 122, such as water, may have a droplet diameter ranging from about 200 microns to 600 microns in diameter, and thus, the surface tension of the droplets will be high enough to adhere to the platen 104 in any orientation. In such cases, the injection device 120 and platen 104 (and thus the entire apparatus 100) may be oriented at any angle.
The components of the vacuum chamber may be sealed to one another by one or more O-rings 118. The material of the O-ring may be selected to provide low volatility into the vacuum, good sealing, and good insulation between the cooling platen 104 and the vacuum bell 110. Good materials include various synthetic rubbers such as Viton (brand name of high density FKM vinylidene fluoride fluoroelastomer material) from chemiurs.
The sprayer 120 may be a commercial sprayer, or a fuel nozzle, or other spray device that sprays finely divided droplets and whose flow rate is easily and accurately controlled. Since the evaporation rate is closely related to the surface area of the droplets, finely divided droplets are often required.
The vacuum may be drawn by a commercial vacuum pump 114 available from companies such as Micropump, inc, of Vancouver Washington, which is a subsidiary of IDEX corporation.
A microprocessor controller may be used to control various system parameters, primarily (but not exclusively) water spray rate and vacuum pressure. System parameters may be controlled in real time to:
maintain the surface temperature of the platen 104 at the desired target temperature as measured by the temperature sensor 140,
identifying droplet icing, freezing or fouling of the vacuum chamber and reducing the water mist rate until the mist is removed or an alarm is issued that cleaning is required
The control may be applied to the water mist flow rate, the vacuum pump power, the opening of any pressure valve in the system, etc. Process control algorithms such as PID (proportional-integral-derivative controller) can be used to balance the system parameters with the disturbances of the environmental factors.
II.A. vacuum bell sealed against skin
Referring to fig. 1C, in some cases it may be useful to configure the vacuum chamber as an open bell jar, with the object to be cooled providing the remaining side. This may be particularly desirable when cooling is to be applied to a part of the body. This is discussed in section iv.b below.
Electrolyte solution as coolant
In some cases, the evaporative liquid may be purified water or water directly from a faucet.
The use of saline may allow lower freezing temperatures to be obtained. Electrolytes such as sodium chloride or calcium chloride lower the freezing point, depending on the concentration. The solutes and concentrations can be selected to select a desired freezing point for the solution. The freezing point of water drops from 0 ℃ for a 0% sodium chloride solution to-12 ℃ for a 15% (by mass) NaCl solution to-17 ℃ for a 20% solution and reaches a maximum of about-20 ℃ at a 22% solution. -10 ℃ is a common temperature for affecting adipocytes in vivo, and can be reached by 13% (by mass) NaCl solution. -18 ℃ is the usual temperature for commercial freezer applications and can be achieved by about 21% by mass NaCl solution. Calcium chloride solutions may also be used. The freezing point of calcium chloride is lower than that of sodium chloride solution. A20% CaCl solution was frozen at-18 ℃ and a 30% CaCl solution was frozen at about-46 ℃.
Referring again to fig. 1A and 1B, if a salt solution is used, evaporation will leave a residue of the salt on the platen 104. For a typical cooling cycle required to destroy adipose tissue, less than one gram of sodium chloride or calcium chloride will remain on the platen 104. To remove this material at the end of the cooling cycle, the thermally conductive platen 104 and the non-conductive O-ring seal 118 are disconnected from the vacuum bell jar 110 using a set of quick connect units 150. The inner surface of the thermally conductive platen 104 may then be wiped with an aqueous cloth to remove residual sodium chloride or calcium chloride. The quick connect unit 150 can then be used to simply reassemble the unit so that the entire vacuum apparatus 100 is ready for the next tissue cooling treatment.
Use as a refrigeration or air-conditioning system
Referring to fig. 2, a refrigeration or air conditioning apparatus 100 may use vacuum driven evaporative cooling for air conditioning or refrigeration (in either case, on the left side of fig. 2). The vacuum chamber 102 may be formed as an open space with a sprayer 120, the sprayer 120 configured to spray a spray 122 onto the heat conductive platen 104. The vacuum pump 114 may draw a vacuum 112 into the volume 102 facing the platen 104. A thermal sensor 140, such as a thermocouple or RTD, may be placed in the platen 104 to monitor the heat flux and temperature of the platen 104. The cooling fins 220 may be thermally coupled to the platen 140 by thermally conductive rods or convective cooling loops 222. Alternatively, a plurality of cooling chambers 230 may be provided, each cooling chamber 230 having an ejector 232 and a vacuum outlet 234. The fins 220 or cooling chamber 230 may be located in a cooled area, or in a duct for opening into a cooled area, which in turn may be an enclosed volume, such as a refrigerator or cold chain box for transporting medications or other temperature sensitive medical supplies or materials, or may be an open space, such as a room to be air conditioned.
When the platen 104 or the cooling chamber 230 is cooled due to the vaporization of the liquid 122, a device 240, such as a fan, may force cooling air or air 242 from the room to be cooled to flow over the fins 220 along the outer surface of the platen 104 or through the cooling chamber 230. The air stream 242 may be cooled and then directed to a desired area within the refrigeration unit or room to be cooled.
The vacuum pump 114 may be located outside of the space that needs cooling. This allows heat generated during operation of the vacuum pump 114 to be dissipated to the ambient environment without radiating back into the area requiring cooling. Vapor generated by vaporization of the liquid in the vacuum volume 102 may be vented 252 to the outside of the desired area to be cooled, or may be forced through a condenser 254 where the vapor is converted back to the liquid phase. The condensed liquid may then be recirculated by a water pump 256 for spraying by the sprayer 120. The closed loop system does not release any coolant to the external environment.
Cooling for medical and therapeutic applications
IV.A Freeze lipolysis method
Referring again to fig. 1A, 1B and 1C, the frozen liposolution method is a method of removing adipose tissue by cooling. The method comprises the controlled application of cooling in a temperature range of-11 ℃ to +5 ℃. Subcutaneous adipose tissue is sensitive to temperature selectivity in this range. Although the process is not fully understood; it appears that adipose tissue cooled below body temperature but above the temperature at which the tissue freezes undergoes local cell death ("apoptosis") or cell detachment from the tissue matrix followed by a local inflammatory reaction that gradually leads to elimination of adipose cells in the body over the course of weeks to months, thereby reducing the adipose tissue layer. Cooling to this range tends not to damage other cells, such as skin and nerve cells. For example, the covered skin can withstand exposure to-10 ℃ for a period of half an hour to one hour without significant damage. Cryolipolysis can be used to non-invasively, locally reduce fat deposits, reduce lipid-rich cells and adipose tissue, to reshape body contours for cosmetic or therapeutic reasons.
The vacuum driven evaporative cooling device 100 can provide the desired cooling of the body tissue in a rapid and controlled manner. A highly thermally conductive platen 104 coated with a thin layer of non-metallic material may be placed in contact with a desired area of tissue 98. The thin non-conductive coating may prevent the thermally conductive platen 104 from adhering to the tissue 98 when the temperature drops below 0 ℃, for example, due to freezing of water on the skin surface.
The computer control can read the temperature sensor 140 and adjust the water flow rate and vacuum pressure to control cooling to maintain the desired temperature and cooling rate, correcting for various confounding factors such as blood circulation changes that result in changes in heat being supplied to the tissue. Lower temperatures can be achieved by reducing the vacuum pressure or adding electrolyte to the injected water. An increase in the rate of cooling to a fixed target temperature can be achieved by inserting and removing water vapor more quickly.
As an application example of this cooling process, the tissue may be cooled to a range where adipocytes are selectively destroyed while other tissues are not damaged. To avoid frostbite, specific temperature levels and exposures can be determined, for example 45 minutes at-10 ℃ (14 ° F), which can damage fat but not surrounding tissue. Each treatment may drive the system to apply a desired degree of cooling to the subcutaneous (typically 1cm or slightly more) fat layer.
The thermally conductive platen may be flexible or conformable to allow the platen 104 to conform to various body parts. The compliant platen may be constructed of a plurality of thin sheets of aluminum, each sheet being polished to allow the sheets to slide over each other with minimal lubricant so that the platen as a whole provides thermal conductivity close to that of solid aluminum, but the entire stack is sufficiently rigid to support a vacuum.
In one exemplary embodiment:
the sprayers 120 spray water onto the back of the thermally conductive platen 104.
The platen 104 may be formed of aluminum, which has a high thermal conductivity, but is less costly than, for example, silver.
Size o: 10cm × 5cm × 0.5cm
Quality: 67.5 g
Specific heat: 0.90J/g/deg.C
The thin non-conductive material may be a teflon liner
Size o: 10cm × 5cm × 0.05cm
Quality: 5.5 g
Specific heat of teflon: 1.5J/g/deg.C
Tissue 98
Size o: 10cm × 5cm × 1cm
Quality: 45 g
Specific heat of tissue: 3.47 joules/gram/. degree.C
If the tissue, teflon, and thermally conductive platen start at 37 ℃, the combined system drops by about 10.0 ℃ per gram of water applied to the platen 104. Therefore, in order to bring the tissue surface to the target temperature-10 ℃, approximately 5 grams of water needs to be atomized onto the platen 104. This tissue surface temperature has been used in previous attempts at thermoelectric cooling systems to enable destruction of adipose tissue without damaging the skin surface of the tissue 98.
Additional small amounts of water will be ejected and drained during the application period, taking into account the blood stream heating. Precise control of the nebulization and expulsion process will be determined by the system unit testing and the control algorithm included in the medical device based on the system unit testing using monitored inputs from the sensors 140.
IV.B. vacuum bell sealed against skin
Referring again to fig. 1C, the vacuum bell 110 may be placed in contact with a desired region of tissue 98 without an intervening platen. Vacuum bell 110 may seal against tissue 98 via an O-ring, petrolatum, or similar sealant. The water sprayer 120 may provide a mist 122 directly to the outer surface of the tissue 98 within the volume of the vacuum bell 110, and the vacuum pump 114 may draw a vacuum 112 in the volume 102 between the vacuum bell 110 and the tissue 98. Without the platen 104, a thermal sensor 140, such as a thermocouple or RTD, may be placed on the tissue surface 98. This approach may provide faster cooling and is suitable for situations where the skin 98 is thick and firm enough to withstand the applied vacuum and cooling without causing injury (e.g., bleeding or excessive evaporation). The platen approach of fig. 1A and 1B may be desirable in situations where the skin or other tissue is less resistant to vacuum.
Cooling for analgesia
As another example, cooling may be used to provide an analgesic effect to a selected area of the body.
Cooling tends to reduce the perception of pain. Cold therapy causes a decrease in nerve conduction velocity and other local effects to relieve the sensation of pain felt by nerves surrounding the skin. Another proposed mechanism of action is the hypothesis: at the point where the cold peripheral nerves reach the spinal cord, activation of the cold receptors may interfere with the pain nerves, thereby reducing the perception of pain. It is known that cooling a part of the body can relieve pain in other parts of the body. For chronic pain, such as arthritis, phantom limb pain or neuropathic pain, the effect seems to be better. Cooling is also effective in burn pain.
Vacuum driven evaporative cooling devices can be used to relieve pain by cooling a specific part of the body to a specific temperature that varies with the part of the body and the nature of the pain. The control system of the device can be programmed to apply levels of liquid (e.g., water) and vacuum suitable for applying appropriate cooling to the patient's pain.
Cooling for hypopigmentation
As another example, cooling may be used to provide skin lightening to selected areas of the body.
Hypopigmentation has been observed as a side effect of temporary cooling or freezing of tissue. Loss of skin pigmentation may occur due to decreased melanin production, decreased melanosome production, destruction of melanocytes, or inhibition of melanosome transfer to keratinocytes in the lower region of the epidermal layer. While some hypopigmentation devices and systems have been developed, improvements in this area may be desirable. The methods and applications described herein can improve the consistency of skin cooling or freezing in a non-invasive manner and can improve the consistency of the duration of skin freezing. Such improvements may be desirable to improve the consistency of the overall hypopigmentation.
Cooling for cold chain of drug delivery
During the transportation of drugs, blood products, transplanted organs, or other temperature sensitive medical supplies or materials, power from a traditional stationary power source, such as a power outlet connected to the power grid, may be unavailable or inconvenient. The power for the cold transportation box may be provided by a portable power source, for example, a solar cell that converts sunlight into electricity. A small transport cooling chamber utilizing vacuum driven gasification is expected to consume about 40 to 60 watts. A solar cell of about 2,500 square centimeters (solar flux of 5 kw/m/day) can provide sufficient power. The solar cell array may be configured as a square array having a side of 50 cm. Since the area is larger than a typical drug transport container, a solar cell can be used that is foldable. This may allow the solar cells to be folded together for initial transport and then unfolded as needed during drug transport to harvest solar energy. The switchable connection may allow the cooling system to alternately switch between the solar array and a conventional fixed location power outlet.
Cooling for in vivo tissue ablation
Referring to fig. 3A, in vivo tissue may be cooled to ablate unwanted cells from the tissue lining. Endoscope 300 may be inserted into the body through a natural orifice. For example, the bronchoscope may be advanced through the trachea to a selected generation of the lung, i.e., the trachea, the main bronchi, the lobular bronchi, or the segmental bronchi. Or the gastroscope may be advanced orally to the esophagus, stomach, duodenum, or small intestine. Referring to fig. 3B, endoscope 300 may be selected to have the largest available working channel 310, for example, a 2mm working channel for a bronchoscope with an outer diameter of 6mm for passage of instruments through the bronchoscope, or up to 2.8mm for a 10mm outer diameter endoscope for passage of instruments through the endoscope for the gastrointestinal tract.
Endoscope 300 may have an illumination source 320 and an objective lens or CCD camera 322 that may allow an operator to visualize the intracorporeal pathway. The endoscope 300 may have air/water nozzles and/or water jets 324 features that allow the operator to clear unwanted material from the path of the endoscope 300 to enhance navigation to desired locations within the body. When the endoscope 300 is at a selected location within the body, a catheter 330 having a plurality of lumens may be passed through the working channel of the endoscope with the catheter tip extending a short distance beyond the endoscope tip. The catheter tip 332 may be a solid unit or an expandable member. It may be a conformable, highly thermally conductive material coated with a thin layer of non-metallic material. The catheter tip 332 may then be placed in contact with the wall of the tissue at the selected location in the body. A specified quantity (say, 1 gram) of liquid, for example water, is then injected from outside the body into the catheter's internal water supply lumen 118, i.e., the liquid delivery tube, by a suitable device (not shown).
The liquid is pushed to the tip of the catheter where it accumulates in the outer evacuated lumen 112. Vacuum is then applied to the outer evacuated lumen 112 of the catheter 330 by using a vacuum pump (not shown). When a suitable vacuum level is reached (less than about 10 torr), the liquid will evaporate and the tip 332 of the catheter outer lumen 112 (and the temperature of the tissue in contact therewith) will cool significantly due to the absorption of heat of vaporization from the tissue. Thermal sensors 140, such as thermistors or thermocouples, are placed at the tip 332 of the outer evacuated lumen 112 to measure the temperature of the affected tissue to ensure that the desired temperature is achieved by cooling.
By appropriate selection of the volume of liquid vaporized and the composition of the liquid (e.g., water, sodium chloride solution, or calcium chloride solution), the tissue can be cooled below-20 ℃ and cooled within a controlled depth of the tissue (e.g., a depth of 1 to 5 mm). This may enable ablation of unwanted cells at selected locations, such as excess goblet cells found in chronic bronchitis. Due to the properties of cryobiology, the epithelium returns to normal after ablation, e.g., the vast majority of goblet cells are eliminated from bronchial tissue.
When the catheter is to be moved to the next location of the tissue to be cooled, hot liquid or air may be passed through the lumen 118, 112 of the catheter to raise the temperature to a level that does not cause tissue damage due to the catheter tip "sticking" to the tissue due to freezing.
A series of cooling of the desired tissue lining may return the normal epithelial tissue lining to the selected area. For example, the method may be used in the airway to ablate segmental, lobular, segments of the main bronchus, and may employ the trachea to ablate unwanted cells, such as excess goblet cells, from the selected bronchus with each location returning to normal epithelium.
Referring to fig. 3C and 3D, these two functions can be combined into a single catheter that provides vacuum driven evaporative cooling, mechanical delivery, and endoscopic optical visualization to direct the cooling to the precise location where treatment will be provided. The tip of the catheter may be formed primarily of aluminum or steel balls that support the vacuum. Vacuum may be drawn through the lumen that serves as the vacuum suction channel 112. The sprayer or nebulizer 120 may spray water or a saline solution into the vacuum bulb. Thermocouples or other sensors may be embedded in the wall of the vacuum bulb to measure the temperature of the bulb at the treatment site. The camera 322 may preferably be fitted with a lens protruding through the vacuum bulb on the side of the bulb remote from the water jet 120. The catheter may have a smooth outer surface so that the catheter can be easily rotated to alternate between camera views and subsequent touching of the cooled surface of the vacuum bulb.
Conditions that may be treated include oesophageal diseases such as oesophageal cancer or barrett's oesophagus, respiratory diseases, gastrointestinal diseases or rectal diseases.
V. examples
The object or space may be cooled by: placing the outer surface of the cooled wall of the vacuum chamber against the object or space; spraying water from a sprayer into the vacuum chamber or onto the cooling wall; a vacuum is maintained in the vacuum chamber sufficient to accelerate the evaporation of the water and cool the stave to the temperature required to cool the object.
An apparatus for cooling an object or space may comprise: a vacuum chamber having a cooling wall designed to be placed against an object or space to be cooled; a water sprayer designed to spray water into the vacuum chamber or toward the cooling wall; and apparatus designed to maintain a vacuum in the vacuum chamber sufficient to cause accelerated evaporation of water and cooling of the stave to a temperature required to cool the object or space.
The patient may be treated by: providing a vacuum chamber against the patient's tissue requiring cooling for treatment; spraying water from a sprayer into the vacuum chamber or against a cooled wall of the vacuum chamber; and maintaining a vacuum in the vacuum chamber sufficient to cause accelerated evaporation of the water and cooling to a temperature required to cool the patient's tissue.
An apparatus for treating a patient may include: a vacuum chamber having a cooling wall designed to be placed against the patient's tissue requiring cooling for treatment; a water sprayer designed to spray water into the vacuum chamber; and maintaining a vacuum in the vacuum chamber sufficient to cause accelerated evaporation of the water and cooling to a temperature required to cool the patient's tissue.
A refrigeration device may include: a thermally conductive platen that may be connected to a set of heat sinks (cooling fins); a vacuum bell sealed to the heat conducting platen; a water spray device installed to spray water onto the heat conductive press plate; a tank fluidly connected to the spray device to supply liquid to the spray device; a vacuum source designed to cool the platen by drawing a vacuum to accelerate evaporation of the water; an electronic computer programmed to take readings from the temperature sensors and based on these readings provide control signals to the water jets and control the vacuum pressure to achieve a level of evaporative cooling at the platens effective to cause a desired cooling of the platens; means for directing air flow over the platen and the heat sink, such as a fan; causing cooling of a selected area within the refrigeration unit; a condenser for converting the coolant from a gas phase to a liquid phase; a fluid connection from a vacuum source to a condenser; a fluid connection from the condenser to a tank supplying liquid to the spraying device.
An apparatus for medical or other therapeutic cooling of a selected region of a patient using vacuum induced evaporative cooling of a liquid medium may include: a conformable, highly thermally conductive platen for thermal contact with a tissue region requiring cooling coated with a thin layer of a non-metallic release material to prevent freeze-adhesion; a vacuum bell sealed to the heat conducting platen; a vacuum seal between the chamber and the thermally conductive platen; a spray device mounted to spray water into a chamber on the thermally conductive platen; a vacuum source connected to the chamber and designed to cool the platen by drawing a vacuum to accelerate evaporation of the water; an air inlet; a three-way valve assembly between the vacuum pump and an air inlet to the chamber; a set of thermal sensors mounted within the thermally conductive platen; an exhaust port for exhausting the vapor to outside of the desired cooling area; means for generating a column of air across the thermally conductive platen; an electronic computer programmed to take readings from the temperature sensor and based on these readings provide control signals to the sprinkler and control the vacuum pressure to achieve a level of evaporative cooling at the platen effective to cause a therapeutic outcome to the patient.
An air conditioning apparatus may include: a thermally conductive platen connected to a set of fins; a vacuum bell sealed to the heat conducting platen; a spraying device installed to spray water onto the heat conductive press plate; a tank in fluid connection with the spray device to supply liquid to the spray device; a vacuum source designed to cool the platen by drawing a vacuum to accelerate evaporation of the water; an electronic computer programmed to take readings from the temperature sensors and based on these readings provide control signals to the water jets and control the vacuum pressure to achieve a level of evaporative cooling at the platens effective to cause a desired cooling of the platens; means for directing air flow over the platen and heat sink (cooling fins) to cause cooling of selected areas of the room or enclosure, such as fans; a condenser for converting the coolant from a gas phase to a liquid phase; a fluid connection from a vacuum source to a condenser; and a fluid connection from the condenser to a tank supplying liquid to the spraying device.
A method for cooling selected areas of an enclosure using vacuum induced evaporative cooling of a liquid medium may include: placing a high thermal conductivity platen of a vacuum chamber against the area, the vacuum chamber having a vacuum bell coupled to the thermal conductivity platen with a vacuum seal between the chamber and the thermal conductivity platen; spraying water onto the platens via chamber-facing spray devices; applying a vacuum to the chamber and venting the vapor to the exterior of the desired cooling area; receiving temperature readings from a set of thermal sensors mounted within a thermally conductive platen; creating a column of air across the thermally conductive platen.
Particular examples may include the following features, either alone or in any combination. The vacuum chamber may be formed as a vacuum bell that seals against the patient's flesh. The vacuum chamber may be formed as an enclosed volume with a cooling wall on one side and the cooling wall is placed in physical contact with the patient's tissue.
The thermally conductive platen may be aluminum. Non-metallic materials in contact with tissue may prevent adhesion and tissue damage during cooling. The spraying device may be mounted within a chamber attached to the thermally conductive material. The liquid medium may be water. The liquid medium may be saline. The liquid medium may be a sodium chloride solution. The liquid medium may be a calcium chloride solution. The solution level may be selected to provide a selected liquid freezing temperature. A vacuum within the chamber may cause evaporation of the liquid from the surface of the conductive material. The vacuum application may be controlled by a valve assembly. The target temperature may be selected to destroy lipid-rich cells. The target temperature may be selected so as not to damage the tissue skin surface. Cooling can be selected to provide an analgesic effect to a desired area of the body. Cooling may be selected to ablate goblet cells. Cooling may be selected to restore normal epithelial cells. Cooling may be selected to freeze unwanted gastrointestinal cells. Cooling may be selected to ablate unwanted benign cells. Cooling may be selected to ablate malignant cells. Cooling may be selected to restore normal gastrointestinal cells. Cooling may be selected to provide skin lightening, i.e. hypopigmentation, to a desired area of the body. The power of the system may be provided by using solar energy converted into power by a solar cell.
For purposes of clarity of explanation, the foregoing description has focused on a representative sample of all possible embodiments that teach the principles of the invention and communicate the best mode contemplated for carrying out the same. The invention is not limited to the described embodiments. Well known features may not have been described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the principles associated with the claimed invention. Throughout this application and its associated file history, when the term "invention" is used, it refers to the entire set of concepts and principles described; in contrast, a formal definition of an exclusive property right is set forth in the claims, which have exclusive control. The description is not intended to be exhaustive of all possible variations. Other variations or modifications not described are also possible. Where multiple alternative embodiments are described, elements of different embodiments may be combined in many cases, or elements of embodiments described herein may be combined with other modifications or variations not expressly described. The listing of items does not imply that any or all of the items are mutually exclusive, nor that any or all of the items belong to any category, unless expressly specified otherwise. In many cases, a feature or set of features can be used separately from an entire device or method described. Many alternatives, variations, modifications, and equivalents not described are within the literal scope of the following claims, and others are equivalent. The claims may be practiced without some or all of the specific details described in the specification. In many cases, the method steps described in this specification can be performed in an order different than presented in this specification, or in parallel rather than sequentially, or in different computers of a computer network rather than all on a single computer.
The claims (modification according to treaty clause 19)
1. An apparatus for cooling an object or space, comprising:
a vacuum chamber having a cooling wall designed to be placed against an object or space to be cooled;
a water sprayer designed to spray water into the vacuum chamber or toward the stave;
means designed to maintain a vacuum in said vacuum chamber of less than 0.02atm sufficient to cause accelerated evaporation of water and to cool said stave to a temperature required to cool said object or space.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
the vacuum chamber is formed as an open vacuum bell which is open on one side to seal against the tissue, object or space.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
the vacuum chamber is formed as a vacuum bell sealed to a flat, thermally conductive platen designed to be placed in thermal contact with the tissue, object or space.
4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein:
the platen is coated with a non-metallic non-stick release material designed to prevent adhesion and consequent tissue damage due to freezing of the tissue to be cooled or of water located between the tissue or object and the platen.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
the water has an electrolyte in solution that is selected to lower the freezing point of the water to a desired temperature.
6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
the vacuum chamber comprises one or more thermal sensors; and is
The maintenance of vacuum is controlled by a computer designed to acquire thermal data from the one or more thermal sensors and control one or more of water flow rate, vacuum pressure and electrolyte solution, control the desired cooling temperature and/or cooling rate, and/or correct for various confounding factors in the heat flow into the vacuum chamber.
7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
the tissue to be cooled is a tissue of a human patient.
8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein:
the tissue to be cooled is the adipose tissue of a patient.
9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein:
the cooling of the tissue is designed to relieve pain.
10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein:
the cooling of the tissue is designed to lighten the skin and/or reduce hypopigmentation.
11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein:
the tissue to be cooled is in the gastrointestinal tract.
12. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the tissue to be cooled is in the respiratory tract.
13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein:
the tissue to be cooled comprises goblet cells to be destroyed.
14. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein:
the tissue to be cooled comprises malignant cells to be ablated.
15. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein:
the tissue to be cooled includes unwanted benign cells that are selectively sensitive to cold, and the cooling is designed to destroy these unwanted benign cells.
16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
the space to be cooled is an enclosed space to be cooled to a refrigerating or freezing temperature.
17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:
the space to be cooled is a room to be cooled to an air-conditioning temperature.
18. A method of treating a patient comprising the steps of:
providing a vacuum chamber against the patient's tissue requiring cooling for treatment;
spraying water from a sprayer into the vacuum chamber or against a cooled wall of the vacuum chamber;
maintaining a vacuum in the vacuum chamber of less than 0.02atm sufficient to cause accelerated evaporation of water and cooling to a temperature required to cool patient tissue.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein:
the vacuum chamber is formed as a vacuum bell that seals against the patient's flesh.
20. The method of claim 18, wherein:
the vacuum chamber is formed as an open vacuum bell which is open on one side to seal against the tissue, object or space.
21. The method of claim 18, wherein:
the vacuum chamber is formed as an enclosed volume with a cooling wall on one side and the cooling wall is placed in physical contact with the patient's tissue.
22. The method of claim 18, wherein:
the vacuum chamber is formed as a vacuum bell sealed to a flat, thermally conductive platen designed to be placed in thermal contact with the tissue, object or space.
23. The method of claim 22, wherein:
the platen is coated with a non-metallic non-stick release material designed to prevent adhesion and consequent tissue damage due to freezing of the tissue to be cooled or freezing of water between the tissue and the platen.
24. The method of claim 18, wherein:
the water has an electrolyte in solution that is selected to lower the freezing point of the water to a desired temperature.
25. The method of claim 22, wherein:
the vacuum chamber comprises one or more thermal sensors; and is
The maintenance of vacuum is controlled by a computer designed to acquire thermal data from the one or more thermal sensors and control one or more of water flow rate, vacuum pressure and electrolyte solution, control the desired cooling temperature and/or cooling rate, and/or correct for various confounding factors in the heat flow into the vacuum chamber.
26. The method of claim 22, wherein:
the tissue to be cooled is a tissue of a human patient.
27. The method of claim 26, wherein:
the tissue to be cooled is the adipose tissue of a patient.
28. The method of claim 26, wherein:
the cooling of the tissue is designed to relieve pain.
29. The method of claim 26, wherein:
the cooling of the tissue is designed to lighten the skin and/or reduce hypopigmentation.
30. The method of claim 26, wherein:
the tissue to be cooled is in the gastrointestinal tract.
31. The method of claim 26, wherein the tissue to be cooled is in the respiratory tract.
32. The method of claim 31, wherein:
the tissue to be cooled comprises goblet cells to be destroyed.
33. The method of claim 26, wherein:
the tissue to be cooled comprises malignant cells to be ablated.
34. The method of claim 26, wherein:
the tissue to be cooled includes unwanted benign cells that are selectively sensitive to cold, and the cooling is designed to destroy these unwanted benign cells.
35. The method of claim 22, wherein:
the space to be cooled is an enclosed space to be cooled to a refrigerating or freezing temperature.
36. The method of claim 22, wherein:
the space to be cooled is a room to be cooled to an air-conditioning temperature.
37. An apparatus for treating a patient, comprising:
a vacuum chamber having a cooling wall designed to be placed against tissue of a patient requiring cooling for treatment;
a water sprayer designed to spray water toward the cooling wall of the vacuum chamber; and
a vacuum pump and controller designed to maintain a vacuum in the vacuum chamber of less than 0.02atm sufficient to cause accelerated evaporation of water and cooling to a temperature required to cool patient tissue.
38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein:
the vacuum chamber is formed as a vacuum bell that seals against the patient's flesh.
39. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein:
the vacuum chamber is formed as an open vacuum bell which is open on one side to seal against the tissue, object or space.
40. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein:
the vacuum chamber is formed as an enclosed volume with a cooling wall on one side and the cooling wall is placed in physical contact with the patient's tissue.
41. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein:
the vacuum chamber is formed as a vacuum bell sealed to a flat, thermally conductive platen designed to be in thermal contact with the tissue, object or space.
42. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein:
the platen is coated with a non-metallic non-stick release material designed to prevent adhesion and consequent tissue damage due to freezing of the tissue to be cooled or freezing of water between the tissue and the platen.
43. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein:
the water has an electrolyte in solution that is selected to lower the freezing point of the water to a desired temperature.
44. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein:
the vacuum chamber comprises one or more thermal sensors; and is
The maintenance of vacuum is controlled by a computer designed to acquire thermal data from the one or more thermal sensors and control one or more of water flow rate, vacuum pressure and electrolyte solution, control the desired cooling temperature and/or cooling rate, and/or correct for various confounding factors in the heat flow into the vacuum chamber.
45. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein:
the tissue to be cooled is a tissue of a human patient.
46. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein:
the tissue to be cooled is the adipose tissue of a patient.
47. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein:
the cooling of the tissue is designed to relieve pain.
48. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein:
the cooling of the tissue is designed to lighten the skin and/or reduce hypopigmentation.
49. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein:
the tissue to be cooled is in the gastrointestinal tract.
50. The apparatus according to claim 45, wherein the tissue to be cooled is in the respiratory tract.
51. The apparatus of claim 50, wherein:
the tissue to be cooled comprises goblet cells to be destroyed.
52. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein:
the tissue to be cooled comprises malignant cells to be ablated.
53. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein:
the tissue to be cooled includes unwanted benign cells that are selectively sensitive to cold, and the cooling is designed to destroy these unwanted benign cells.
54. A method of cooling an object or space comprising the steps of:
placing a vacuum chamber in thermal contact with a tissue, object or space to be cooled;
spraying water from a sprayer into the vacuum chamber;
maintaining a vacuum in the vacuum chamber below 0.02atm sufficient to cause accelerated evaporation of water and cooling of the tissue, object or space to a desired temperature below its ambient temperature.
55. The method of claim 54, wherein:
the vacuum chamber is formed as a vacuum bell that seals against the patient's flesh.
56. The method of claim 54, wherein:
the vacuum chamber is formed as an open vacuum bell which is open on one side to seal against the tissue, object or space.
57. The method of claim 54, wherein:
the vacuum chamber is formed as an enclosed volume with a cooling wall on one side and the cooling wall is placed in physical contact with the patient's tissue.
58. The method of claim 54, wherein:
the vacuum chamber is formed as a vacuum bell sealed to a flat, thermally conductive platen designed to be placed in thermal contact with the tissue, object or space.
59. The method of claim 58, wherein:
the platen is coated with a non-metallic non-stick release material designed to prevent adhesion and consequent tissue damage due to freezing of the tissue to be cooled or freezing of water between the tissue and the platen.
60. The method of claim 54, wherein:
the water has an electrolyte in solution that is selected to lower the freezing point of the water to a desired temperature.
61. The method of claim 54, wherein:
the vacuum chamber comprises one or more thermal sensors; and is
The maintenance of vacuum is controlled by a computer designed to acquire thermal data from the one or more thermal sensors and control one or more of water flow rate, vacuum pressure and electrolyte solution, control the desired cooling temperature and/or cooling rate, and/or correct for various confounding factors in the heat flow into the vacuum chamber.
62. The method of claim 54, wherein:
the tissue to be cooled is a tissue of a human patient.
63. The method of claim 62, wherein:
the tissue to be cooled is the adipose tissue of a patient.
64. The method of claim 62, wherein:
the cooling of the tissue is designed to relieve pain.
65. The method of claim 62, wherein:
the cooling of the tissue is designed to lighten the skin and/or reduce hypopigmentation.
66. The method of claim 62, wherein:
the tissue to be cooled is in the gastrointestinal tract.
67. The method of claim 62, wherein the tissue to be cooled is in the respiratory tract.
68. The method of claim 67, wherein:
the tissue to be cooled comprises goblet cells to be destroyed.
69. The method of claim 62, wherein:
the tissue to be cooled comprises malignant cells to be ablated.
70. The method of claim 62, wherein:
the tissue to be cooled includes unwanted benign cells that are selectively sensitive to cold, and the cooling is designed to destroy these unwanted benign cells.