A METHOD COMBINING INDUCING HYPOTHERMIA AND ADMINISTERING A THERAPEUTIC AGENT

摘要

The use of an intravascular cooling element to induce hypothermia in connection with a medical procedure. According to a first aspect of the present, invention, a coronary bypass procedure is conducted in which a patient's blood is oxygenated with the patient's lungs and in which blood is circulated using the patient's heart or using an intracorporeal pump. The procedure preferably comprises: (a) positioning a heat transfer element in a blood vessel patient; (b) cooling the body of the patient to less than 35 DEG C, more preferably 32+/-2 DEG C, using the heat transfer element; and (c) forming a fluid communicating graft between an arterial blood supply and the coronary artery. The body of the patient is preferably heated to about 37 DEG C using the heat transfer element subsequent to the step of forming the fluid communicating graft.