NZ330111A

NZ330111A - medical gas mixture containing oxygen, carbon dioxide and optionally helium for the treatment and imaging of tumours

Info

Publication number: NZ330111A
Application number: NZ33011198A
Authority: NZ
Inventors: Michael Ernest Garrett
Original assignee: Boc Group Plc
Priority date: 1998-04-02
Filing date: 1998-04-02
Publication date: 2001-05-25

Abstract

The use of a gas mixture comprising from 20% to 70% oxygen, from 1% to 8% carbon dioxide and the remainder being helium, in the preparation of inhalable substances for use in the imaging and/or treatment of tumours.

Description

<div class="application article clearfix" id="description"> Patents Form 5 N.Z. No. NEW ZEALAND tote/fectnai D Patents Act 1953 Office of 5y>Grty COMPLETE SPECIFICATION 0 2 APR fggg REC £/Veq MEDICAL GAS MIXTURES We, THE BOC GROUP, PLC, a British Company of, Chertsey Road, Windlesham, Surrey GU20 6HJ, Great Britain, , do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: - - 1 - (Followed by 1A) -1a- MEDtCAL GAS MIXTURES This invention relates to medical gas mixtures and, more particularly, to such mixtures for use with patients undergoing imaging, for example magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A divisional application has been filed directed towards a method of imaging and/or treating tumours in patients using the medical gas mixtures. In MRI detection of cancer, the presence of oxygenated blood within the tumour can commonly improve the MRI imaging. This can be achieved in particular by there being an enhanced level of'oxygen in the gas/atmosphere being inhaled by the patient. In addition it has been found that the presence of carbon dioxide in the inhaled gas acts as a vasodilator such that, in the area of the tumour in particular, dilated blood vessels in and around the tumour allow for an increased level of oxygen in those blood vessels. Typically a five percent addition of carbon dioxide (CO,) is made to the gas although somewhat higher or lower concentration may be used to good effect in different circumstances. The carbon dioxide has in practice been administered in air or oxygen enriched air as the inhaled gas but more commonly it is administered in oxygen (02) in particular by inhalation of a 5% CCX/95% 02 mixture. Such a mixture is commercially available from the BOC Gases business of the Applicant under the trade name "Carbogen". However, a problem with the administration of Carbogen mixtures to patients is that pronounced physiological effects at a 5% C02 concentration, including inability to breath normally, high ventilation rates, panic and production of heat which may lead to the patient being unable or unwilling to continue with the imaging or treatment. This is particularly the case for patients with obstructive pulmonary disease. It has been recently proposed to reduce the carbon dioxide concentration somewhat. For example down to 4% or 3% or lower in order to minimise such detrimental physiological effects and it is thought that this may be possible without INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OFFICE OF N.Z. 2 1 FEB 2001 d c r c i %# r n OPR.1998 17=03 BOC PATENTS DEPT. WINDLESHQM NO.129 P.5 - 2 - RJDj'LCN/oroigi: substantial loss of the benefits in the imaging process of inhaling Carbogen gas mixtures Nevertheless, the need to allow a patient to inhale such gas mixtures with a minimum of discomfort and lack of the above physiological effects remains paramount if the best possible imaging to be consistently obtained. The present invention is concerned with the provision of new medical gas mixtures for use in particular in MRI imaging. In accordance with the invention there is provided a medical gas mixture which comprises from 20 to 70% oxygen, from 1 to 8% carbon dioxide, the balance, except for incidental constituents not adversely affecting the basic properties of the gas mixture, being helium. All percentages quoted in this specification and claims are, unless otherwise indicated, by volume. The presence of helium, a relatively light gas, surprisingly allows the mixture as a whole to be more readily and comfortably inhaled than mixtures previously used. The effect of helium is to greatly reduce the "drag" in a patient's lungs caused by the high breathing rate triggered by the carbon dioxide constituent and at the same time to improve the perfusion of the inhaled gas constituents - oxygen and carbon dioxide - in to the depths of the lungs The presence of helium therefore affords the possibility of using somewhat lower carbon dioxide concentration than the typical 5% content in Carbogen mixtures. The carbon dioxide is preferably from 1 to 5%, more preferably from 1 to 4% and ideally less than 3%. .ftPR.1998 17:03 BOC PATENTS DEPT. WINDLESHPM NO.129 P.6 -3- BiD/LIIH/07Diaa The oxygen content may be varied over the broad range stipulated above but is preferably from 20 to 40% and more preferably from 25 to 35%, for example 30 or 31%. It has been found in general that little extra benefit in MRI imaging in particular occurs at oxygen concentrations above about 31% as no extra arterial oxygen is introduced with higher concentrations. The lower concentration of oxygen in the mixtures of the invention as compared with use of standard Carbogen mixtures may also be beneficial in reducing oxygen saturation in the plasma of the blood, thereby improving the oxyhaemoglobin image in MRI in particular. An overall preferred gas mixture contains from 25 to 35% oxygen, 1 to 3% carbon dioxide and the balance being helium, for example 30% oxygen, 2% carbon dioxide and 68% helium. The basic properties exhibited by the gas mixture of the invention, namely good blood oxygenation and vasodilation in the patient inhaling the mixture together is easier breathing characteristics for the patient, allows the mixture to be used to good effect not only for enhanced imaging procedures and results but also in the associated treatment of the tumours in question themselves. In this letter respect, it has been surprisingly found that the gas mixture of the invention can greatly assist in the chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment of tumours. In particular, the improved imaging effects afforded by the mixture based in the presence of enhanced levels of oxygen can show more clearly those tumours and parts of tumours in which blood is still flowing, i.e. have not been necrotic, and that are therefore susceptible to chemotherapy and/or radiology. Furthermore, the vasodilation properties of the gas mixtures of the invention allow, during inhalation by the patient, for the chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy drags to be more widely .APR.1998 17:03 BOC PATENTS DEPT. WINDLESHAM NO.129 P.7 -4- Jfc)D/LEN/97Dlg2» available within the tumour in particular and to be retained or trapped in the tumour once the inhaler has ceased and the blood vessels constrict. The invention can therefore be regarded as the use of the gas mixture of the invention in tumour imaging techniques and in the associated treatments of the tumours. Experiments have shown that the use of the relatively low levels of carbon dioxide, particularly less than 3%, surprisingly do not decrease the vasodilation effects of this constituent, nor adversely affect the overall effectiveness of the imaging or patients inhaling the gas mixture, to an extent which would be expected for such low levels of carbon dioxide. In addition the experiments confirm the fact that the gas mixture of the invention is more readily and comfortably inhaled than an equivalent helium-free mixture. </div>

Claims

<div class="application article clearfix printTableText" id="claims"> -5- WHAT WE CLAIM IS:

1. The use of a gas mixture comprising from 20% to 70% oxygen and from 1 % to 8% carbon dioxide, the balance, except for incidental constituents not adversely affecting the basic properties of the gas mixture, being helium, in the preparation of inhalable substances for use in the imaging and/or treatment of tumours of patients.

2. The use according to Claim 1 which the oxygen content is from 20 to 40%.

3. A use according to Claim 1 or Claim 2 in which the oxygen content is from 25 to 35%.

4. A use according to any one of Claims 1 to 3 in which the carbon dioxide content is from 1 to 5%.

5. A use according to any one of Claims 1 to 4 in which the carbon dioxide content is from 1 to 4%.

6. A use according to any one of Claims 1 to 5 in which the carbon dioxide is less than 3%.

7. A use according to any one of Claims 1 to 6 containing 25 to 35% oxygen, 1 % to 3% carbon dioxide and the balance being helium.

8. A use according to any one of Claims 1 to 7 containing 30% oxygen, 2% carbon dioxide and 68% helium.

9. A use according to Claim 1 substantially as herein described or exemplified. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OFFICE OF N.Z. 2 1 FEB 2001 RECEIVED </div>