A cooling device (10) is provided with a cooling unit (20), a refrigerant supply pipe (30, 31) and a refrigerant discharge pipe (32, 33). A refrigerant passes from a refrigerant supply source (34) through the refrigerant supply pipe (30, 31) to the cooling unit (20), and further passes through the refrigerant discharge pipe (32, 33) and is discharged to a refrigerant container (36). One example of a method of use is as follows. An arcuate suture needle (70) made of a shape-memory alloy is deformed into an annular shape outside the body of a patient. The deformed suture needle (70) is delivered into the abdominal cavity of the patient through a trocar (50). The suture needle (70) is restored to the arcuate shape by virtue of the characteristics of the shape-memory alloy. Tissue inside the abdominal cavity is sutured using the arcuate suture needle (70). Gripping forceps (60) equipped with the cooling device (10) are then inserted into the abdominal cavity and the suture needle (70) is gripped using gripping portions (61) of the gripping forceps (60). The grip portions (61) and the suture needle (70) are cooled by means of the cooling unit (20). The cooled suture needle (70) is extracted to the outside of the body through the trocar (50) while being deformed.LA présente invention concerne un dispositif de refroidissement (10) qui est pourvu d'une unité de refroidissement (20), d'un tuyau d'alimentation en fluide frigorigène (30, 31) et d'un tuyau d'évacuation de fluide frigorigène (32, 33). Le fluide frigorigène passe d'une source d'alimentation en fluide frigorigène (34) à travers le tuyau d'alimentation en fluide frigorigène (30, 31) vers l'unité de refroidissement (20), et passe en outre à travers le tuyau d'évacuation de fluide frigorigène (32, 33) et est évacué vers un récipient de fluide frigorigène (36). Un exemple de procédé d'utilisation est le suivant. Une aiguille à suture arquée (70) constituée d'un alliage à mémoire de forme est déformée pour obtenir une
