A Head and Neck Support Device for Inducing Local Hypothermia.

Area of Science:

• Medical Devices
• Therapeutic Hypothermia
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Local mild hypothermia is a therapeutic strategy.
• Current methods for head and neck cooling have limitations.
• A need exists for efficient and controlled cooling systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and evaluate a novel device for inducing local mild hypothermia in the head and neck.
• To achieve target temperatures of 33-35°C in the head and neck.
• To maintain unchanged core body temperature during the procedure.

Main Methods:

• The device circulates cold fluid around the head and neck.
• The head region is divided into five independently controlled cooling zones with concentric tube coils.
• The neck region utilizes helical wrapping of multiple tubes.

Main Results:

• Preliminary testing demonstrated the capability to cool brain tissue (2.5 cm depth) to 35°C within 30-40 minutes.
• The system achieved target cooling without pharmacological or circulatory interventions.
• The device showed potential for improved cooling compared to existing technologies.

Conclusions:

• The designed device effectively induces local mild hypothermia in the head and neck.
• The independent zone control and coil design allow for efficient and precise cooling.
• This technology presents a promising advancement for therapeutic hypothermia applications.