Process and apparatus for cryostatic pre-operative treatment of gangrenous extremeties

Claim 1

In a process of cryostatic pre-operative treatment of a gangrenous extremity in preparation for the subsequent surgical amputation of said extremity, a. the improvement of lowering the temperature of the affected portion of the extremity and providing refrigeration anesthesia to the patient and ultimately providing physiologic amputation of said portion of said extremity while providing to said patient movement of said extremity and limited ambulation during the period of said pre-operative treatment and simultaneously reducing nursing care to a minimum during said period of said pre-operative treatment, which comprises the steps of: b. wrapping the affected part of the extremity with a flexible freezing pad, having inner and outer layers and containing sinuous tubing interposed between said layers which covers most of the area of said pad and c. supplying refrigerant to said sinuous tubing and removing refrigerant from said sinuous tubing frorm a from some distance from said pad through flexible tubing extending from said source to said pad and from said pad to said source and which forms a closed circuit with said source and said pad; d. circulating said refrigerant through said sinuous tubing at subfreezing temperatures for sufficient time to completely freeze the wrapped gangrenous extremity and to effect physiologic amputation of said extremity by completely cutting off circulation between the affected part of said extremity and the rest of the body; e. thereafter, raising the temperature of the circulating refrigerant to a freezing holding temperature for sufficient time to maintain the extremity in frozen condition until thE patient gains sufficient strength to undergo surgical amputation.