January 15, 2008 - BeneChill Inc. today said it received CE approval for the commercial sale of the RhinoChill System, a battery-operated, noninvasive, portable, and easy-to-use medical device for rapid therapeutic patient cooling in European Union member countries.
The RhinoChill System uses a nasal catheter to deliver a proprietary inert coolant to the nasal cavity to reduce patient temperature. Therapeutic hypothermia (reducing patient temperature to approximately 33 C or 91 F) has been shown to improve survival and neurologic outcome after cardiac arrest. The American Heart Association and the International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation recommend the use of therapeutic hypothermia in comatose survivors of cardiac arrest. Other possible uses of therapeutic hypothermia include stroke and traumatic brain injury.
The company said the RhinoChill System is designed to overcome limitations of other temperature reduction technologies by enabling early and rapid initiation of patient cooling. The battery-operated RhinoChill System does not require a refrigeration unit.
Using the nasal cavity enables treatment by non-specialized medical personnel using non-sterile technique in any surrounding, including ambulances and emergency rooms, the company said.
The RhinoChill System is an investigational device in the U.S. and is limited by law to investigational use only.
For more information: www.benechill.com