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Units designed to cool and/or rewarm a patient by circulating liquid (e.g., saline) through an intravascular catheter, controlling the patient\'s core temperature (typically from 32 to 37 degrees Celsius [90 to 99 degrees Fahrenheit]) by heat exchange between the blood and the saline solution through the wall of a balloon, without perfusion of fluids into the body or drawing blood. These devices typically consist of a central console that includes a cooling and heating system; pumps, coils, and/or tubes for circulation and delivery of the liquid to intravascular catheters; and electronic controls with a display to monitor and show patient and equipment data (e.g., patient core and saline temperature, rate of change of core temperature). The units typically provide automatic adjustment of the circulating solution temperature to keep the patient\'s core temperature at the desired level according to the temperature sensor included in the catheter. Dedicated intravascular catheters with appropriate closed-loop liquid circulation, heat-exchange balloons, and temperature sensors are available for short-term (e.g., a few hours) or longer-term (e.g., a week) patient temperature control; some catheters include several lumens and can be used also as standard central venous catheters. Intravascular patient warming/cooling units are intended to induce hypothermia, maintain normothermia, and rewarm patients; they may be used during surgery and recovery, to preserve cerebral function in patients with brain injuries, after cardiac arrest, in the care of patients with septicemia, and in other intensive care procedures.
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