New equipment makes it easier and quicker to prevent damage after stroke

Doctors are increasingly recommending the use of gel pads, to stabilise the temperature of a human body, immediately after a cardiac arrest or brain stroke. The new equipment can help to save the time that is other methods like use of ice packs consume in cooling body temperature.

A new equipment in the form of cooling gel pads is now available in the market and can be used to avoid further damage to the body after a stroke. "It is a known medical practice to cool a patient's body in event of heart attack or stroke. The sooner we do it, the better it is to save further damage including paralysis," said Yatin Mehta, chairperson, critical care and anesthesia at Medanta Medicity hospital in Gurgaon at a press conference organised at All India Institute of Medical Sciences.

He further added, “So far ice was being used to bring down the body temperature of a patient before reaching the hospital that had all modern technologies to treat such a condition. But the new temperature management system or the equipment can be used anywhere easily. An added advantage is that the doctors can control and monitor the temperature that will be achieved by the use of gel pads. This was not possible when we used ice.

The temperature management system is designed to monitor and control a patient's temperature within a range of 32°C to 38.5°C (89.6°F to 101.3°F). It consists of an electronic module and disposable gel pads. Through the touch screen, a doctor can set the precise temperature at which the body is to be cooled.

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