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The RhinoChill System – Nasal Catheter to cool the body after cardiac arrest

1/26/2009 06:09:00 PM  , ,  

This is a new device that is currently enrolling folks for clinical trials, a device that cools the brain and temperature after a heart attack, stroke, etc.  It is battery operated and just received approval for commercial sale in Europe, but here in the US it is still considered investigational.  It is a nasal catheter and delivers a coolant through the system and the delivery process is non invasive.  The purpose is to achieve a higher survival rate after a cardiac arrest.  The unit could be used by non medical individuals as well.  Will be interesting to follow the story on the device and hopefully we might see it approved for use in the US, in the meantime, they have clinical trials open for enrollment.  BD 

From the website:

BeneChill's mission is to develop novel cooling technologies to improve patient outcomes after acute ischemic events such as cardiac arrest, stroke, and traumatic brain injury.

The BeneChill SystemThe RhinoChill System has been developed as a means of initiating and providing therapeutic cooling with limited delays. It is non-invasive, easy-to-use, portable, and requires no external power. RhinoChill is designed to overcome limitations of other temperature reduction technologies—limitations that prevent early and rapid initiation of patient cooling.

  • Surface cooling devices such as water-filled blankets and pads, while easy to apply, are inefficient, cumbersome, require large refrigeration units and may interfere with patient management.
  • Intravascular cooling devices which cool the blood, while more efficient than surface cooling devices, are invasive, require large refrigeration units, and need to be placed by specially trained physicians under restricted conditions. The invasive nature of these devices carries risk of additional complications.

The RhinoChill System uses the nasal cavity for cooling. This is advantageous due to the nasal cavity being:

  • A natural orifice into the body
  • In close proximity to the brain
  • A natural heat exchanger

Use of the nasal cavity enables treatment by non-specialized medical personnel using non-sterile technique in any environment.

BeneChill Inc. Technology

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