Zwischenberger and Wang granted their fifth US patent
By Josh Shepherd
The United States Patent Office granted inventors Dr. Dongfong Wang and Dr. Jay Zwischenberger their fifth patent for a medical device in October of 2016.
Dr. Wang, Director of the Artificial Organ Laboratory at the University of Kentucky, and Dr. Zwischenberger, chair of the º£½Ç½ûÇø Department of Surgery, have collaborated on the invention of a number of medical devices in the course of their long professional association.
The new patent, No. 9,468,557, came as a result of their research into the use of hyperthermia as a support to chemotherapy in the treatment of certain forms of cancer. The invention, a compact heat exchanger for veno-venous perfusion-induced systemic hyperthermia (VV-PISH), was developed in response to a need for a heat exchange device that was less bulky, reduced multi-modular components, and simplified complex circuitry, Dr. Wang explained.
The new heat exchanger reduces the hyperthermia treatment process to one component and a simple circuit, making the treatment easier and safer for the patient. In addition to its potential use in Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy (HIPEC), there are a number of other potential applications for this device, Zwischenberger added.
