Rapid Induction of Heterogeneous Ice Nucleation in a Biologically Compatible Coolant.

Abstract

Hypothermia is gaining recognition as an important medical treatment. To treat local cases of injury such as stroke, or certain surgical procedures, there is a need to induce local hypothermia. To treat shock or cardiac arrest survivors, there is a need to rapidly induce global hypothermia. Rapid induction of hypothermia has been achieved in animal research, but it has yet to be achieved clinically using a simple, widely practicable method. The clinical need for therapeutic hypothermia represents an engineering opportunity to develop an easy to use coolant that is sterile, biologically compatible, and maximizes coolant heat capacity. Here we present an initial characterization of a prototype platform technology designed to create a sterile, biologically compatible, high heat capacity coolant that has the potential to be used in all of these clinical applications. The coolant is a specially processed micro-particulate ice saline slurry, that can be easily pumped into a patient through surgical tubing, syringes, or minimally invasive surgical instruments. The device induces heterogeneous ice nucleation in a saline stream that has been super-cooled from room temperature to a temperature below the saline freezing point. Currently, the device begins continuous production of ice slurry that contains ~30 % ice by mass within 10 minutes. The nominal ice particle diameter is smaller than 100 mum. This work represents a significant first step toward addressing clinical needs for rapid human cooling