title: Safety and feasibility of nasopharyngeal evaporative cooling in the emergency department setting in survivors of cardiac arrest.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Mild therapeutic hypothermia improves survival and neurologic recovery in primary comatose survivors of cardiac arrest. Cooling effectivity, safety and feasibility of nasopharyngeal cooling with the RhinoChill device (BeneChill Inc., San Diego, USA) were determined for induction of therapeutic hypothermia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eleven emergency departments and intensive care units participated in this multi-centre, single-arm descriptive study. Eighty-four patients after successful resuscitation from cardiac arrest were cooled with nasopharyngeal delivery of an evaporative coolant for 1h. Subsequently, temperature was controlled with systemic cooling at 33 degrees C. Cooling rates, adverse events and neurologic outcome at hospital discharge using cerebral performance categories (CPC; CPC 1=normal to CPC 5=dead) were documented. Temperatures are presented as median and the range from the first to the third quartile.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nasopharyngeal cooling for 1h reduced tympanic temperature by median 2.3 (1.6; 3.0) degrees C, core temperature by 1.1 (0.7; 1.5) degrees C. Nasal discoloration occurred during the procedure in 10 (12%) patients, resolved in 9, and was persistent in 1 (1%). Epistaxis was observed in 2 (2%) patients. Periorbital gas emphysema occurred in 1 (1%) patient and resolved spontaneously. Thirty-four of 84 patients (40%) patients survived, 26/34 with favorable neurological outcome (CPC of 1-2) at discharge.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Nasopharyngeal evaporative cooling used for 1h in primary cardiac arrest survivors is feasible and safe at flow rates of 40-50L/min in a hospital setting.
authors.affiliation: Albert Ludwigs University Freiburg, Department of Cardiology and Angiology, Freiburg i. Br., Germany.
authors.forename: H-J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Busch
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Eichwede
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Födisch
authors.forename: F S
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Taccone
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wöbker
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schwab
authors.forename: H-B
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Hopf
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tonner
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hachimi-Idrissi
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Martens
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fritz
authors.forename: Ch
authors.initials: Ch
authors.lastname: Bode
authors.forename: J-L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Vincent
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Inderbitzen
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Barbut
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sterz
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Janata
mesh_terms: D000281:Administration, Intranasal; D000368:Aged; D001831:Body Temperature / Q000502:physiology; D016887:Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation / Q000379:methods*; D003080:Cold Temperature; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D004867:Equipment Design; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007036:Hypothermia, Induced / Q000295:instrumentation*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009305:Nasopharynx; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome