Abstract: Apparatus for altering the body temperature of a patient includes an enclosure defining an interior space for receiving at least a portion of a patient's body therein. The enclosure is constructed to conduct a heat transfer liquid into direct contact with the portion of the patient's body received in the interior space to promote heat transfer between the patient's body and the heat transfer liquid. A reservoir for holding a supply of heat transfer liquid is disposed on the enclosure.

Abstract: An apparatus for adjusting the body temperature of a patient comprises an enclosure defining an interior space for receiving at least a portion of a patient's body therein. The enclosure is adapted for substantially sealingly enclosing the portion of the patient's body within the interior space with the enclosure. Heat transfer liquid may then be circulated through the interior space of the enclosure via an inlet and an outlet for flow over the patient's body in direct liquid contact therewith to promote heat transfer between the patient's body and said heat transfer liquid. The heat transfer liquid may be either warmer or cooler than the patient's body temperature, to either warm or cool the portion. Controlled cooling may be employed to induce therapeutic hypothermia, while controlled warming may be employed to counteract unintended hypothermia.

Abstract: Apparatus for altering the body temperature of a patient includes an enclosure defining an interior space for receiving at least a portion of a patient's body therein. The enclosure is constructed to conduct a heat transfer liquid into direct contact with the portion of the patient's body received in the interior space to promote heat transfer between the patient's body and the heat transfer liquid. A reservoir for holding a supply of heat transfer liquid is disposed on the enclosure.

Abstract: A non-contact method and apparatus for continuously monitoring a physiological event in a human or animal, such as blood pressure, which involves utilizing a laser-based interferometer system to produce a waveform that is representative of continuous blood pressure in a subject. The invention may preferably utilize a laser Doppler vibrometer which is oriented to produce a laser beam directed toward the subject substantially perpendicular to a skin surface of the subject wherein the skin surface is moveable in response to blood pressure. The vibrometer is sensitive to motion of the skin surface in a direction parallel to the laser beam and produces a signal representative of this motion. By plotting the velocity of the skin surface movement in the direction parallel to the laser beam with respect to time, a waveform is produced that has been found to be representative of the blood pressure waveform and highly defined to thereby permit accurate timing analysis thereof relating to cardiac cycles.