Intravascular Cooling System Reverses Heat Stroke

Seventeen pilgrims suffering heat stroke during the 2012 annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca were successfully treated using an innovative temperature management solution.

The ZOLL Thermogard XP intravascular temperature management system provides control of core body temperature by directly cooling or warming the patient’s blood as it flows through the body, via a catheter inserted into a vein. The catheter is connected to the proprietary Thermogard XP console which, when used to induce hypothermia, circulates ice-cold saline solution inside a balloon catheter. After a period of therapeutic hypothermia, typically 12-24 hours, the system slowly and accurately rewarms the patient back to normal body temperature. Since the saline flows only within the catheter, no fluid is infused into the patient.


To prepare for the recent Hajj, which takes place in conditions that involve severe desert heat, sun-related hazards, and crowding that can trigger emergencies such as heat stroke, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) Ministry of Health purchased ZOLL IVTM systems following successful usage during the 2011 Hajj. The ZOLL Thermogard XP IVTM is a product of ZOLL Medical Corporation (Chelmsford, MA, USA), and comes with a variety of catheters with placement options to handle specific patient challenges, including options for catheter placement inside the femoral, subclavian, and internal jugular veins.

“The process of cooling the body can limit potential damage to the brain and other organs, resulting in lives saved that might otherwise be lost,” said Richard A. Packer, CEO of ZOLL. “Use of the technology in this instance validates the power and positive impact of ZOLL’s intravascular approach.”

“After witnessing the superior clinical efficiency ZOLL’s intravascular approach provides in reaching and maintaining target temperature when compared to other methods, such as surface cooling, the Saudi government decided to expand use of the technology this year,” said Abdulrahman Alduailij, CEO of Hospital Automation Technology (Riyadh, KSA), ZOLL IVTM distributor in the KSA. “This technology gives our clinicians the power and control they need to rapidly, safely, and effectively manage core body temperature, and reduces their workload since it doesn’t require constant monitoring.”

Related Links:
ZOLL Medical Corporation
Hospital Automation Technology