Cooling Therapy for Heart Attack Patients

An ongoing clinical trial is investigating the feasibility of cooling therapy for heart attack patients. The procedure is intended to reduce the injury caused by a heart attack by reducing the heart's need for oxygen and preventing cell death.

Dr. Robert Whitbourn of St. Vincent's Hospital (Melbourne, Australia) was the first to employ the cooling therapy to treat a heart attack patient. The treatment involves cooling the heart during and after an attack. A heat exchange catheter is placed in a large vein leading to the heart. The catheter cools the blood, which in turn cools the heart. The treatment was delivered by the SetPoint Endovascular Temperature Management System of Radiant Medical, Inc. (Redwood City, CA, USA).

The SetPoint System couples a heat exchange catheter with a microproccesor-controlled drive unit. The drive unit controls the temperature of the catheter and thus controls the temperature of the heart. The system offers rapid patient cooling or warming and precise maintenance of a target temperature. Radiant plans to enroll patients at major U.S. and international centers in this first phase of the study.

"The procedure went smoothly and according to plan and the patient is doing well,” said Dr. Whitbourn. "I am excited to be involved with this clinical trial. Therapeutic hypothermia has the potential to significantly improve outcomes for heart attack patients.”



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Radiant Medical, Inc.