Heat transfer coefficient: Medivance Arctic Sun Temperature Management System vs. water immersion

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Thermoregulation
• Heat Transfer

Background:

• The Medivance Arctic Sun system uses a hydrogel pad for improved heat transfer.
• Efficient heat exchange is crucial for effective body cooling and rewarming.

Purpose of the Study:

• To measure and compare the heat transfer efficiency of the Arctic Sun's hydrogel pad (hPAD) with water immersion (hWATER).
• To validate the pad's performance in a heated model and in human volunteers.

Main Methods:

• Heat transfer coefficient (h) was measured using heat flux transducers and temperature gradients.
• Experiments were conducted in a heated model and on the thighs of human volunteers.
• Comparison involved 10°C water immersion in 33 head-out immersions.

Main Results:

• The heat transfer coefficient for the hydrogel pad (hPAD) was 110.4 W m⁻²°C⁻¹ in the model and 109.8 W m⁻²°C⁻¹ in volunteers.
• The heat transfer coefficient for water immersion (hWATER) was 107.1 W m⁻²°C⁻¹.
• hPAD was statistically equivalent to hWATER across all conditions.

Conclusions:

• The Arctic Sun's hydrogel pad demonstrates heat transfer efficiency comparable to water immersion.
• This finding suggests equivalent heat transfer rates for cooling/rewarming applications when using the Arctic Sun system.
• The study validates the system's efficacy for therapeutic temperature management.