Company donates life-saving cooling equipment to fire department
A new product has life-saving capabilities that will truly help those providing emergency medical services.
Life Core Technologies, based in Broadview Heights, produces the EXCEL Cerebral Cooling System. The inventor, Dr. Aqeel Sandhu, helped found the company in 2008 with Scott Raybuck and Brian Seitz. Sandhu presently works at Mercy Medical Center.
The cooling system, which functions as a collar, is an innovative product that makes a world of difference during an emergency situation.
The device lowers the body temperature and metabolic rate, inducing a mild hypothermia, according to Lt. Alan Leonard of the Broadview Heights Fire Department, which received the product in the form of a donation. Such mild hypothermia is critical, because when a victim is being revived, the “return of spontaneous circulation” has the potential to damage tissue surrounding the brain.
“In some emergency situations, the victim doesn’t necessarily die because EMS can’t resuscitate the heart; it’s often because of brain damage,” said Maria Brown, who works in Life Core Technologies’ marketing department.
These kinds of “therapeutic hypothermia treatments” are gaining ground in the medical industry. While the concept is nothing new, it has become part and parcel of EMS and hospital protocol. Cooling devices such as the Life Core’s cooling system facilitate treatment of patients in cardiac arrest or suffering from other serious injuries.
The cooling collar is very simple to use, Leonard explained. It easily fits around a victim’s neck. A small “door” is opened, allowing room for a cooling agent, which is placed near the victim’s carotid triangle — a particular spot in the neck where several major veins and arteries converge.
For firefighters and paramedics, the device’s ease of use is a very important feature. Once they do their job and the victim is treated initially, the collar also assists during the transportation process to a nearby hospital.
“By cooling the body, that slows down one’s metabolism. The brain doesn’t need as much oxygen at that point,” Brown said. It’s a concept that’s echoed in the company’s taglines: “Time is life” and “10 seconds and done.” The idea is that EMS personnel can secure the collar around a victim’s neck in nothing more than a moment. More time can then be devoted to actual treatment.
“The faster you put that collar on, the better the chances are that the victim will survive,” Brown said.
The cooling agent is a latex-free, non-hazardous element that “reaches –5 C within seconds of activation,” according to information provided by the company.
Presently, Life Core Technologies is working around the country to promote the new product.
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