title: Feasibility and efficacy of a new non-invasive surface cooling device in post-resuscitation intensive care medicine.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  There is sufficient evidence that therapeutic hypothermia after non-traumatic cardiac arrest improves neurological outcome and reduces mortality. Many different invasive and non-invasive cooling devices are currently available. Our purpose was to show the efficacy, safety and feasibility using a non-invasive cooling device to control patient temperature within a range of 33-37 degrees C.
  
  
  METHODS
  A convenience sample of patients who have been resuscitated successfully from cardiac arrest and were intended for mild hypothermia therapy according to the guidelines and inclusion criteria were studied in a prospective observational case series at an emergency department of a tertiary care university hospital. The Medivance Arctic Sun System provides a new, non-invasive approach to reach a target temperature of 33 degrees C quickly, to maintain the target temperature for 24h, and then to actively re-warm at 0.4 degrees C/h to normothermia. Cooling was applied using the Arctic Sun in 27 patients. Data are presented as median and the interquartile range (25, 75%).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Median age was 58 (49.5, 70) years. Time from cooling start to target temperature was 137 (96, 168)min, cooling rate was 1.2 degrees C/h (0.8, 1.5), stability of target temperature during hypothermia maintenance phase was satisfactory at 33.0 degrees C (32.9, 33.1), and duration of re-warming was 428 (394, 452)min.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Using the Arctic Sun System in post-resuscitation care medicine for cooling cardiac arrest survivors is feasible and has proven to be highly effective in lowering patients' temperature rapidly without inducing skin irritations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Moritz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Haugk
authors.forename: Fritz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sterz
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grassberger
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Uray
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kliegel
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Janata
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Richling
authors.forename: Harald
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Herkner
authors.forename: Anton N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Laggner
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003422:Critical Care; D004867:Equipment Design; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007036:Hypothermia, Induced / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012151:Resuscitation; D016896:Treatment Outcome