The topical myocardial cooling device: Correlation of its effectiveness with method of cannulation and core temperature of the patient.

The Topical Cooling Device(R)(*) (TCD) is a closed system that circulates sterile saline solution at 4 degrees C in the pericardium. The system's ability to maintain cardiac hypothermia under clinical conditions depends on the method of cannulation and the core temperature of the patient. After studies were done in ten groups of patients, with at least three patients in each group, the effects of these two variables on TCD performance were then observed in a series of over 250 coronary artery bypass cases and are summarized in the following report.