RhinoChill Non-Invasive Head Cooling System Poised For European Market Introduction

BeneChill (San Diego, CA) has partnered with Medtronic‘s Physio-Control division to release the RhinoChill IntraNasal Cooling System in Europe. As the name implies, RhinoChill cools the head and body via a nasal catheter and is designed for fast application on patients status post cardiac arrest, stroke or traumatic brain injury. The companies have also announced plans to develop “additional applications for BeneChill and work towards making the RhinoChill System available in the U.S.”
More about the RhinoChill from a Medtronic press release:

The RhinoChill System uses a non-invasive nasal catheter that sprays a rapidly evaporating, inert coolant liquid into the nasal cavity, a large area situated beneath the brain that acts as a heat exchanger. As the liquid evaporates, heat is directly removed from the base of the skull and surrounding tissues via conduction and indirectly through the blood via convection.
The system is battery-powered, compact and does not require refrigeration, making it ideal for use in pre-hospital settings. Each coolant bottle holds enough liquid to cool a patient for 30 minutes at nominal flow, and bottles can be easily exchanged to maintain the cooling process.
A recently-published European clinical study4 has shown that when administered by Emergency Medical System (EMS) personnel as soon as they reach a cardiac arrest victim and continued during transport to hospital, the RhinoChill System effectively reduces body temperature by the time the victim reaches the hospital. Survival without loss of brain function was significantly improved in patients where resuscitation procedures and subsequent RhinoChill cooling were initiated within ten minutes of cardiac arrest, compared with patients who were not cooled in the pre-hospital setting.

Product page: RhinoChill Intra-Nasal Cooling System…
Press release: Physio-Control and BeneChill Partner to Bring Portable Therapeutic Hypothermia Solution to Market…
Flashback: RhinoChill Intra-Nasal Cooling System Effectively Chills Brain After Cardiac Arrest