Numerical simulation for treatment of hypothermia based on vascular interventional direct heating system

Abstract

The treatment of hypothermia suffered by naval fighters owing to seawater immersion has been a focus of research in recent years. Currently, the treatment of hypothermia in China is limited to external rewarming, which is of low efficiency and is not effective for patients suffering moderate to severe hypothermia. We thus proposed a vascular interventional heating method which directly heats the blood flow via a minimally invasive heating needle for rewarming. And a numerical simulation using a compartment model based on finite difference method was conducted. A set of whole body heating treatment simulation was also developed. Appropriate treatment parameters and procedures can be set and adjusted based on patient physical parameters. Here temperature response curves of different heating modes were obtained and analyzed. It was demonstrated that the desired thermal response can be achieved by adjusting the heating power and heating time, ensuring controllable accuracy in the treatment of patients with severe hypothermia. The proposed treatment for hypothermia is a new and effective alternative, and further progress is expected in clinical trials.