Rapid Induction of Hypothermia by the ThermoSuit System Profoundly Reduces Infarct Size and Anatomic Zone of No Reflow Following Ischemia-Reperfusion in Rabbit and Rat Hearts.

Introduction: Although hypothermia reduces myocardial infarct size, noninvasive and rapid cooling methods are lacking. This study tests the effectiveness of a novel cooling apparatus on myocardial infarct size and no-reflow area in 2 models of coronary artery occlusion (CAO).

Methods And Results: Animals were randomized to normothermic (N) or hypothermic (H) groups after isolation of a proximal coronary artery. Animals were subjected to 30 minutes CAO and 3 hours reperfusion. In protocol 1 (rabbit, n = 8 per group), hypothermia was initiated, using the ThermoSuit apparatus (convective-immersion cooling), 5 minutes after the onset of CAO to a goal temperature of ∼32°C. In protocol 2 (rat, n = 5 per group), hypothermia was initiated 2 minutes after the onset of CAO to a goal temperature of ∼30°C. Goal temperature was reached in ∼20 minutes. In protocol 1, hypothermia caused an 82% reduction in infarct size as a percentage of the ischemic risk zone (N, 44% ± 5%; H; 8% ± 2%, P < 0.001) and an 89% reduction in the no-reflow area (N, 44% ± 4%; H, 5% ± 1%, P < 0.001). In protocol 2, hypothermia caused a 73% infarct size reduction (N, 51% ± 5%; H, 14% ± 6%, P < 0.01) and a 99% reduction in the no-reflow area (N, 33% ± 5%; H, 0.4% ± 0.3%, P < 0.01).

Conclusion: The ThermoSuit device induced rapid hypothermia and limited infarct size and no reflow to the greatest extent ever observed in this laboratory with a single intervention.