Temperature control therapy system for treating heart attack patients

Cardiac arrest with widespread cere-bral ischemia frequently leads to severe neurologic impairment. Recovery without residual neurologic damage after cardiac arrest with global cerebral ischemia is rare.Researchers have shown thattherapeutic hypothermia reduces brain damage and increases survivability in certain cases of cardiac arrest. Rapid infusion of cold intravenous fluid has been identified as the most effective means of inducing hypothermia. This work is targeted towards providing a device that is capable of inducing hypothermia on-spot and managing it automatically. An analogue to digital converter is used to monitor the output from a transducer depending on the patient's body temperature and give out digital outputs used to control when the thermoelectric module cools or heats the intravenous fluid and when it stays off. The system is designed to maintain the patient's temperature between 34°C and 36°C. A knob provided selects other temperature ranges. Different temperatures were generated to mimic body temperature being sensed by the transducer and the thermoelectric module's action was monitored. The intravenous fluid was heated when sensed temperature was greater than 34°C, cooled whenit was less than 36°C and neither heating nor cooling took place when it was between 34°C and 36°C. Although the system satisfied the fundamental operating principles, the rate of heat transfer to and from the intravenous fluid was poor. The intravenous tube also melted. These issues are being addressedin addition to making the system embedded. Biological life was not used for the test.