US Patent 10258804 Thermal management for recharge of implantable medical devices

Devices, systems, and techniques are configured for cooling tissue during recharge of an implantable medical device (IMD) battery. In one example, a method includes charging, by an inductive charger, a rechargeable battery of an implantable medical device (IMD) within a patient, wherein the IMD comprises a housing that houses the rechargeable battery, and wherein a primary coil of the inductive charger is positioned above a region of skin of the patient proximate to the IMD. The example method further includes cooling, by a heat exchanger, the region of skin below a normal ambient surface temperature of the region of skin, wherein the heat exchanger is interposed between the primary coil and the region of skin.