Abstract: Devices and methods for warming or cooling blood flowing through the vasculature of a human or animal subject so as to alter or control the temperature of all or part of the subject's body. Heat exchangers are positioned within the subject's vasculature and heated or cooled heat exchange fluid is circulated through the heat exchanger. For certain therapeutic applications, the heat exchanger and associated elements of the system have sufficient power to lower the subject's body temperature by at least 3 degrees C. in less than 30 minutes.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for temperature modification of a patient, or selected regions thereof, including an induced state of hypothermia. The temperature modification is accomplished using an in-dwelling heat exchange catheter within which a fluid heat exchange medium circulates. A heat exchange cassette is attached to the circulatory conduits of the catheter, the heat exchange cassette being sized to engage a cavity within a control unit. The control unit includes a heater/cooler device for providing heated or cooled fluid to a heat exchanger in thermal communication with the fluid heat exchange medium circulating to the heat exchange catheter, a user input device, and a processor connected to receive input from various sensors around the body and the system. A temperature control scheme for ramping the body temperature up or down without overshoot is provided.

Abstract: Apparatus for oxygenating and pumping blood includes a housing defining a blood flow path including, in series, a gas collection plenum, a pump space and a blood oxygenation element. A pump disposed in the pump space is configured to draw blood from the gas collection plenum and propel blood from the pump space through a heat exchanger and the blood oxygenation element. The heat exchanger includes a heat exchange plate and a coolant space.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods for pumping and oxygenating blood are provided that include a gas removal system. An integrated blood processing unit is provided in which a gas removal/blood filter, pump and blood oxygenation element are mounted within a common housing. The gas removal system includes a sensor mounted on the housing to sense the presence of gas, and a valve is operably coupled to the sensor to evacuate gas from the system when the sensor detects an accumulation of gas.

Abstract: Apparatus for processing blood in an extracorporeal circuit with automatic flow control is provided in which error conditions are sensed and system operation is modulated responsive to the error conditions. The apparatus includes an extracorporeal blood processing system, at least one sensor that senses the presence or absence of gas or monitors venous pressure, and a controller operably coupled to the blood processing system to selectively reduce pump speed or to reconfigure flow paths within the blood processing system responsive to the sensor output.