High flow cooled air can decrease brain temperature without injuring the snout or brain in Swine.

Area of Science:

• Critical Care Medicine
• Medical Devices
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Targeted temperature management is crucial for treating critical illnesses.
• Current non-invasive methods for isolated brain temperature control are limited.
• A need exists for rapid and localized cooling solutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the safety and efficacy of a novel intranasal high flow cooled air device.
• To assess the device's ability to achieve isolated brain and head cooling.
• To determine the potential for injury associated with the device.

Main Methods:

• Yorkshire swine were instrumented with temperature probes (rectum, brain, ear, snout).
• A novel intranasal cooled air device was applied to half the animals.
• Outcomes included brain, snout, and tympanic temperature changes, and assessment for injury via CT and histology.

Main Results:

• Intranasal, intracranial, and tympanic temperatures significantly decreased during cooling.
• Rectal temperature remained unchanged, indicating localized cooling.
• No short- or medium-term injury was observed in the snout, CT perfusion, or histology.

Conclusions:

• The novel intranasal cooled air device is safe and effective for isolated brain and head cooling.
• This non-invasive technology offers a promising approach for targeted temperature management.
• Further research may explore its clinical applications in critical care.