FACTBOX: The business of cooling therapy

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The European market for therapeutic hypothermia devices was US$217 million in 2006, according to Frost & Sullivan. By 2012, it is estimated to reach US$543 million. Manufacturers of cooling equipment include the following companies, all but one of which market their cooling products in the U.S.:

Publicly traded companies:

* Philips Healthcare, part of the Dutch multinational company, markets two kinds of cooling systems. One is the InnerCool RTx Endovascular System, which relies on an intravenous catheter to initiate cooling, maintain hypothermia, and re-warm the patient. Endovascular cooling was recently tied to blood clot formation in people with traumatic head injuries. The InnerCool STx Surface Pad System can be programed to cool or warm a patient, or keep a constant temperature, via fluid circulating through pads wrapped around the body.

* ZOLL Medical Corporation, headquartered in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, sells two temperature-control systems, Thermogard XP and CoolGard 3000. Both use intravenous catheters.

Privately held companies:

* BeneChill, a San Diego, California-based company, received market clearance for its flagship product RhinoChill in Europe in 2008, but has not obtained FDA approval. RhinoChill is a battery-driven device that delivers coolant directly into the nose without the need for refrigeration. It is designed for field use and was recently tested in the first clinical trial of cooling during a cardiac arrest.

* Cincinnati Sub-Zero, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, specializes in temperature management for industrial and medical needs. Its Blanketrol systems are found in many ORs and can be programed to cool or warm a patient, or keep a constant temperature, via fluid circulating through pads wrapped around the body.

* Gaymar, based in Orchard Park, New York, offers a variety of healthcare products including the Medi-Therm system, which deliver surface cooling and warming much like the Blanketrol system.

* Life Recovery Systems, based in Waldwick, New Jersey, markets ThermoSuit, which immerses the patients in ice water for rapid cooling, but not temperature maintenance. According to the company, ThermoSuit cools faster -- around 30 minutes -- than other surface-cooling devices.

* Medivance, a Louisville, Colorado-based company, offers its flagship product, the Arctic Sun system, which relies on an intravenous catheter to initiate cooling, maintain hypothermia, and re-warm the patient.