X-Message-Number: 24400
From: "Basie" <>
Subject: Catheter that could be used to freeze the brain
Date: Sat, 17 Jul 2004 14:32:41 -0400

I think this catheter could be used to freeze a brain effectively. But
technicians will probably have to practice on pigs for a long time.


Basie

>Cryogenics Research Yields Possible Cure For Arrhythmia
A U.S. clinical study is just getting under way that, if successful, could
lead to a non-surgical "cure" for the most common type of cardiac
arrhythmia. The study is evaluating a new type of cryogenic catheter
co-developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

The catheter system, which is being commercialized by CryoCor of San Diego,
Calif., is designed to selectively freeze cardiac tissue in order to block
the abnormal electrical signals that cause arrhythmia, thereby returning the
heart to its normal rhythm. On June 29 the company announced Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) approval for clinical trials to evaluate the system's
safety and efficacy in treating atrial fibrillation, an irregular heart
rhythm that affects about 2.3 million Americans and increases the risk of
stroke and death. Clinical trials are already under way to treat atrial
flutter, or rapid heart rate.

International clinical trials had a 98 percent overall treatment success
rate, and the company has approval to sell the system in Europe. The
technology offers a potential cure for arrhythmia, whereas current
treatments, including drug therapy and implantable devices such as
pacemakers, are management strategies.

The system consists of a catheter about 3 mm in diameter, a sheath for
introducing the catheter into pulmonary veins, and a console for controlling
the temperature of refrigerant inside the catheter and thus the size of the
tissue area to be frozen. Inside the heart, the catheter can achieve
temperatures below minus 80 degrees Celsius (minus 112 degrees Fahrenheit).
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CryoCor is a spin-off of CryoGen Inc. of San Diego, Calif., which originally
worked with NIST researchers through a cooperative research and development
agreement to develop the ultracold catheter. CryoGen has used some of the
same technology to develop a way to treat abnormal uterine bleeding.
Approved for clinical use in 2001, the procedure is an alternative to a
hysterectomy and has a one-day recovery period instead of up to 6 weeks.
CryoGen was purchased by American Medical Systems in 2002.<

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