Arctic Sun medical device

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The Arctic Sun Temperature Management System is a medical tool used to cause induced hypothermia, in order to lower the body's core temperature to about 75 degrees Fahrenheit to improve the neurological outcome in incidents of severe or life-threatening illness, injury, or other medical problems. It is produced by the Medivance company ^[1]

1 Device operation
2 See also
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Device operation

Hypothermia being induced by using water circulated through Arctic Sun heat-conducting pads

The key component of the Arctic Sun System is the ArcticGel Pads, which have a unique construction that includes a water based, biocompatible hydrogel layer. The hydrogel coated pads cover minimal body surface area and adhere to the patient’s abdomen, back and thighs. The Arctic Sun pulls water under negative pressure through the pads at a high velocity in a temperature range between 4°C and 42°C (39.2°F and 107.6°F) for rapid heat exchange. The negative pressure flow prevents water leakage and helps ensure a safe and hassle-free work environment.

The other key component, the Arctic Sun Control Module, incorporates an internal control algorithm that reacts to patient temperature by automatically adjusting the circulating pad water temperature to achieve a preset patient target temperature. The temperature feedback from the patient is supplied to the control module using standard YSI-400 patient temperature probes, such as bladder, rectal, esophageal or nasopharyngeal probes.

The combination of an efficient control algorithm and thermal conductivity of the hydrogel results in thermoregulatory system that surpasses many expectations and proves to be a useful tool for patients undergoing therapeutic temperature modulation.

In May 2008, an incident involving this device received major news coverage, when a female patient in West Virginia suffered cardiac arrest, was pronounced dead, and then was revived using this device. ^[1]