Medical & biological engineering & computing
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Med Biol Eng Comput · Aug 2010
Brain hypothermia induced by cold spinal fluid using a torso cooling pad: theoretical analyses.
Brain hypothermia induced by a temperature reduction of the spinal fluid using a torso-cooling pad is evaluated as a cooling alternative for traumatic injury patients. A theoretical model of the human head is developed to include its tissue structures and their contribution to local heat transfer. The Pennes bioheat equation and finite element analysis are used to predict the temperature distribution in the head region. ⋯ This approach is more effective during ischemia because it promotes deeper cooling penetration and results in larger temperature reductions; the average grey matter temperature decreases to 35.4 degrees C. Cooling in the white matter is limited and only occurs under ischemic conditions. The non-invasive nature of the torso-cooling pad and its ability to quickly induce hypothermia to the brain tissue are beneficial to traumatic injury patients.