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 UK 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.