BERKELEY, Calif., Feb. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- CoolSystems Inc. today announced that its NASA-inspired cooling technology has been shown in a University of Illinois at Peoria study to have effectively cooled the brains of stroke victims. Results of the study, which were reported last week at the American Heart Association's 29th International Stroke Conference and in the February issue of the Journal of Neurosurgery, measured brain temperatures of stroke victims and found that using a liquid-cooled, soft-fabric "helmet" dropped the temperature of patients' brains while cooling the body at a much slower rate. This "selective" cooling has the potential to limit brain injuries while sparing patients the risks of global hypothermia.
"We are encouraged by these findings, which were extremely positive, even using an early prototype system. Our company is committed to further researching how our cooling technology can help stroke victims, so we have entered into a collaboration agreement to test a next-generation system with the top-ranked facility of its kind in the country, the Stanford Stroke Center at the Stanford University Medical Center," said Tom Oliver, CEO of CoolSystems.
In a recent survey sponsored by the University Health Consortium, the Stanford Stroke Center was ranked as the number one academic institution in the country for stroke management. CoolSystems will be working with a team including Christine Wijman, MD, from the Stroke Center, and Steven Chang, MD, from the Department of Neurosurgery. "This project will combine Stanford University's world renowned expertise in stroke management in which Drs. Chang and Wijman have been actively engaged, with the development of a new treatment modality for acute stroke. The CoolSystems cooling helmet represents an extremely promising approach to acute stroke therapy. We anticipate that this novel system will enable hypothermia therapy presently considered impractical or infeasible," said Gary Steinberg, MD, PhD, Chairman, Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University Medical Center.
"Earlier methods to cool the brain, such as dry ice or having to cool the entire body, have negative side effects and aren't feasible in the critical early stages of treatment," said Dr. Chang of the Stanford Department of Neurosurgery.
"The CoolSystems application is a very promising treatment for patients with acute stroke. Because the CoolSystems cooling helmet is non-invasive and the portable unit is easy to use in the field, it has the potential of greatly improving the early treatment and clinical outcomes for stroke victims," added Dr. Wijman, Stanford Stroke Center. "Our collaboration with CoolSystems will further investigate the effectiveness of discrete hypothermia in stroke and head trauma patients."
In addition to the cooling helmet, CoolSystems has created the Recharge Active Cooling System, a cooling vest designed to help people with MS and other heat-sensitive neurological conditions to lower their core body temperatures. The company sees its cooling technology as having a number of other potential medical applications, including possible treatment of head trauma, the neurologic effects associated with cardiac arrest, and concussions.
"At one point, I represented 26 quarterbacks who kept getting concussions. The statistics were alarming, so I held 'concussion conferences' to help players learn about causation, symptoms and the importance of early treatment," said sports agent Leigh Steinberg, whose clients include Troy Aikman and Steve Young. "One of the reasons I joined the CoolSystems board of directors was that I believe the company's technology can potentially have a positive impact in helping treat and limit the damage of concussions."
About CoolSystems, Inc.
Based in Berkeley, Calif., CoolSystems, Inc. is a State of California medical device manufacturer registered with the Food and Drug Administration. The company was founded by William Elkins, a former NASA collaborator who conducted pioneering research on controlling temperature and pressure in space suits. Working with doctors and athletes, CoolSystems strives to create products that help people recover from injury faster and perform at their best. The company's core product line, the Game Ready Accelerated Recovery System, uses patented ergonomic wraps and an adjustable control unit to simultaneously provide cold therapy and intermittent compression. CoolSystems also manufactures the Recharge Active Cooling System, a cooling vest designed to help people with MS to lower their core body temperature. For more information, visit http://www.gameready.com/ and http://www.rechargems.com/.
CoolSystems Inc.CONTACT: Debbie Pfeifer of CoolSystems Inc., +1-206-954-6831, orpfeifne@yahoo.com
Web site: http://www.rechargems.com/
Web site: http://gameready.com/