title: A thermoregulation model for hypothermic treatment of neonates.
abstract: This paper presents a thermoregulation finite element model (FEM) to simulate hypothermia procedures for the treatment of encephalopathy hypoxic-ischemia (EHI) in neonates, a dangerous ischemic condition that can cause neurological damages and even death. Therapeutic hypothermia is the only recommended technique to reduce sequels caused by EHI in neonates; intervention with moderate cooling for neural rescue in newborns with hypoxic-ischemic brain injury is the culmination of a series of clinical research studies spanning decades. However, the direct monitoring of brain cooling is difficult and can lead to additional tissue damage. Therefore, the measurement of efficiency during clinical trials of hypothermia treatment is still challenging. The use of computational methods can aid clinicians to observe the continuous temperature of tissues and organs during cooling procedures without the need for invasive techniques, and can thus be a valuable tool to assist clinical trials simulating different cooling options that can be used for treatment. The use of low cost methods such as cooling blankets can open the possibility of using brain cooling techniques in hospitals and clinics that cannot currently afford the available expensive equipment and techniques. In this work, we developed a FEM package using isoparametric linear three-dimensional elements which is applied to the solution of the continuum bioheat Pennes equation. Blood temperature changes were considered using a blood pool approach. The results of the FEM model were compared to those obtained through the implementation of a user-defined function (UDF) in the commercial finite volume software FLUENT and validated with experimental tests. Numerical analyses were performed using a three-dimensional mesh based on a complex geometry obtained from MRI scan medical images.
authors.affiliation: Civil Engineering Program,COPPE/Federal University of Rio de Janeiro Technological Center, Ilha do Fundão, CEP 21945-970, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Electronic address: anabeatrizgonzaga@coc.ufrj.br.
authors.forename: Ana Beatriz C G
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Institute of Thermal Technology, Silesian University of Technology, Konarskiego 22, Gliwice 44-100, Poland. Electronic address: joanna.jachowicz@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Joanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Laszczyk
authors.affiliation: Institute of Materials and Manufacturing, Brunel University London, Uxbridge UB8 3PH, United Kingdom. Electronic address: luiz.wrobel@brunel.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Luiz C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Wrobel
authors.affiliation: Civil Engineering Program,COPPE/Federal University of Rio de Janeiro Technological Center, Ilha do Fundão, CEP 21945-970, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Electronic address: fernando@coc.ufrj.br.
authors.forename: Fernando L B
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.affiliation: Institute of Thermal Technology, Silesian University of Technology, Konarskiego 22, Gliwice 44-100, Poland. Electronic address: andrzej.j.nowak@polsl.pl.
authors.forename: Andrzej J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Nowak
mesh_terms: D001833:Body Temperature Regulation; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D020342:Finite Element Analysis; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D007036:Hypothermia, Induced; D020925:Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008954:Models, Biological
keywords: Brain cooling; Finite element method,; Hypothermia; Neonates; Thermoregulation