Chicago-based medical device firm Attune Medical has expanded its patent portfolio with two major advancements. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued a broad method patent for Devices and Methods for Controlling Patient Temperature (U.S. Patent number 10,363,162), which is the first patent in the Attune portfolio that specifically claims the use of ensoETM to cool a patient during a cardiac ablation procedure, and dates back to Attune’s earliest patent filings. The company also acquired an exclusive license from Stanford University for a Transesophageal Heat Exchange Catheter for cooling of the heart (U.S. Patent number 7,758, 623).

These two milestones expand the company’s IP portfolio for targeted temperature management using the esophageal space, and open additional potential avenues for use of its flagship ensoETM device in new clinical applications.
 
Widely used in emergency medicine and surgical applications to cool or warm patients when clinically indicated, ensoETM is also the subject of ongoing worldwide clinical studies designed to validate its efficacy in reducing thermal injury to the esophagus during cardiac catheter ablation procedures for atrial fibrillation. (The ensoETM device has not been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for reduction of thermal injury to the esophagus.) Attune Medical will continue to expand its patent portfolio related to this application, while looking forward to the presentation of study results at scientific sessions in the coming months that could further validate this clinical use.
 
Attune Medical CEO Keith Warner commented, “Attune is quickly becoming the market leader in targeted temperature management from the inside out, and these recent developments to strengthen our intellectual property and expand our technology platform significantly enhance our position in the market and open new opportunities for growth.”
 
Attune Medical has developed proprietary medical device technology that simplifies access to the patient’s core to efficiently control temperature and is the only device FDA-cleared for use in the esophagus for whole-body temperature management. Attune Medical’s ensoETM is a single use thermal regulating device that is placed in the esophagus (similar to a standard orogastric tube) and connected to an external heat exchange unit, creating a closed-loop system for heat transfer to increase or decrease patient temperature. Its placement in the esophagus, with proximity to blood flow from the heart and great vessels, allows highly efficient heat transfer. Unlike surface warming devices, ensoETM‘s internal placement doesn't impede patient access during surgery and allows gastric decompression and administration of fluids and medications. The ensoETM device is used in critical care units, operating rooms, and emergency departments for the intentional modulation of patient core temperature and can be rapidly placed by most trained healthcare professionals.