Abstract: A cooling system includes a pressurized liquid refrigerant source having a liquid refrigerant and a cooling garment coupled to the liquid refrigerant source. The cooling garment defines chambers containing a heat transfer fluid. During operation, a user places the cooling garment in thermal communication with a body portion of a subject. As the cooling garment receives the liquid refrigerant from the pressurized source, the liquid refrigerant thermally contacts the heat transfer fluid and evaporates, thereby reducing the temperature of the heat transfer fluid. The heat transfer fluid, in turn, reduces the temperature of the body portion in thermal communication with the cooling garment. The heat transfer fluid acts to substantially evenly distribute cooling, as provided by the evaporation of the liquid refrigerant, to the body portion contacting the cooling garment to minimize localized “cold spots” within the chamber.

Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus and method for reducing secondary brain injury. The apparatus includes a brain-cooling probe and a control console. The brain-cooling probe cools the brain to prevent secondary injury by cooling the cerebrospinal fluid within one or more brain ventricles. The brain-cooling probe withdraws a small amount of cerebrospinal fluid from a ventricle into a cooling chamber located ex-vivo in close proximity to the head. After the cerebrospinal fluid is cooled it is then reintroduced back into the ventricle. This process is repeated in a cyclical or continuous manner in order to achieve and maintain a predetermined brain ventricle temperature lower than normal body temperature. The apparatus and method disclosed provides effective brain ventricle cooling without the need to introduce extra-corporeal fluids into the brain.

Abstract: A cooling system includes a console and a tissue cooling device such as a head-cooling device. An operator applies the head-cooling device to the head of a patient at risk for ischemic injury. The console provides a cooling fluid to a fluid circulation space located between the cooling device and the patient's head under a positive gage pressure. Direct contact between the cooling fluid and the patient's head provides a relatively rapid induction of systemic hypothermia in the patient, thereby minimizing or preventing ischemic injury in the patient. The console also removes air from a channel disposed about an inner rim of the cooling device, using a negative gage pressure. Such removal of the air from the channel seals the rim of the cooling device to the head of the patient, including portions of the channel in contact with hair of the patient's head, and minimizes leaking of the cooling fluid beyond the rim of the cooling device.

Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus and method for preventing secondary ischemic injury in the brain. The apparatus includes an interstitial brain-cooling probe that is placed into an ischemic region of the brain by stereotaxic surgical technique, and a control console. The control console provides a source of cooling fluid to the interstitial brain-cooling probe, and controls the flow of cooling fluid according to signals received from a temperature sensor mounted on the interstitial brain-cooling probe. The interstitial brain-cooling probe cools an ischemic region of the brain from within the ischemic region, and cooling is substantially limited to the ischemic region. Cooling is provided for a period of time greater than one hour.