Clinical studies and research

Exploring the Potential of CarbonCool® in Rapid Prehospital Cooling for Severe Heat Stroke (opens in a new tab)

Kido N, Tagami T, Otake K, et al. · Prehospital Emergency Care 28(7):905-909 · Case reports · 2024 · Nippon Medical School and Musashi Kosugi Hospital, Japan

Two case reports involving older patients with classic heat stroke. CarbonCool cooling began at the scene and continued during transport and hospital care. Temperature reductions were observed, but these uncontrolled cases cannot establish comparative efficacy or a survival benefit. PMID: 38416877; DOI: 10.1080/10903127.2024.2323575.

Management of heatstroke using the novel, reusable, CarbonCool® suit: a case report (opens in a new tab)

Tay PJM, Ho AFW, Shahidah N, Nadarajan GD · Journal of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine 6:9 · Case report · 2022 · Singapore General Hospital, Duke-NUS and SingHealth

Single case of exertional heatstroke in a 31-year-old man treated with a CarbonCool half-body suit and MPads alongside cold intravenous saline, after wet towels and fans; Blanketrol cooling followed in intensive care. The report describes adjunctive use and does not isolate the effect of the suit. DOI: 10.21037/jeccm-20-107.

Safety and Efficacy of CarbonCool Half-Body Vest for HAZMAT Decontamination Crews Wearing Personal Protective Equipment: A Pilot Study (opens in a new tab)

Tay PJM, Koh ZX, Hao Y, Leong MKF · Prehospital and Disaster Medicine 35(6):645-650 · Pilot study · 2020 · Singapore General Hospital, Duke-NUS and SingHealth

Observational pilot involving 23 healthy staff during 55-minute decontamination exercises: 10 wore a CarbonCool half-body vest with MPads under PPE and 13 served as controls. Users reported comfort and mobility; adjusted physiological differences were not statistically significant. This study did not establish prevention of heat injury. PMID: 32928328; DOI: 10.1017/S1049023X20001144.

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Novel wearable cooling device for early initiation of targeted temperature management in the Emergency Department (opens in a new tab)

Yap LG, Shahidah N, Pothiawala S, et al. · Journal of Emergency and Critical Care Medicine 4:13 · Cohort study · 2020 · Singapore General Hospital, National Heart Centre and Duke-NUS

Single-centre pre/post cohort of 124 post-cardiac-arrest patients (40 intervention, 84 historical controls). CarbonCool Full Body Suit with MPads was added to ice packs and cold saline, followed by powered ICU cooling. Median time from return of spontaneous circulation to 34°C was 119 versus 482 minutes. Survival and neurological outcomes did not differ significantly; missing data and historical controls limit interpretation. DOI: 10.21037/jeccm.2019.11.05.

Download 2019 author manuscript (PDF, opens in a new tab)

A Pilot Study to Evaluate the Potential of Using a CarbonCool Vest in Reduction of Heat Stress among First Responders Donned in CLD500 Decontamination Suit (PDF, opens in a new tab)

Pravin Thiruchelvam, Jimmy Kock Keng Goh, Priscilla Kah Huimin, Ejaz Latiff, Priscilla Ting Zi Yin · ICEM 2019 poster abstract submission, no. 0884 · Abstract · 2019 · Changi General Hospital and National University of Singapore

Submitted abstract describing a 10-volunteer pilot with a CarbonCool vest using EMCOOLS FlexPads under CLD500 PPE during 20 minutes of exercise. Lower estimated temperatures were reported with the vest, but allocation, measurement methods and statistical testing are not detailed. The archived acknowledgement confirms submission, not acceptance or presentation.

Heat Injury Management in the SAF (PDF, opens in a new tab)

External Review Panel on Heat Injury Management, chaired by Mark Leong Kwok Fai · External review report · Review report · 2018 · Commissioned by Singapore Ministry of Defence

Policy and practice review of SAF heat-injury management. It discusses CarbonCool among cooling-suit options and recommends evaluation of additional cooling methods. This is not a CarbonCool clinical trial or a report demonstrating its effectiveness in SAF field deployment.

Preliminary Testing of CarbonCool™ Cooling System for HAZMAT Decontamination (PDF, opens in a new tab)

Leong MKF, Koh ZX, Wah W, Ong MEH · Research poster · Poster · Undated · Singapore General Hospital and Duke-NUS

Observational poster involving 11 healthcare volunteers: four chose a CarbonCool Comfort Suit under HAZMAT PPE and seven served as controls. A smaller descriptive temperature rise was reported with the suit. Small, self-selected groups and limited methods do not establish heat-injury prevention. Publication date and independence from the later SGH pilot cohort are unconfirmed.

Chemotherapy Drug Concentrations in Hair Follicles: A Potential Biomarker to Monitor the Effectiveness of Scalp Cooling for Chemotherapy-Induced Alopecia (PDF, opens in a new tab)

Chae JW, Ng R, Chan A · Supportive Care in Cancer 26:3669-3670 (commentary) · Commentary · 2018 · National University of Singapore, National Cancer Centre Singapore, Chungnam National University and Duke-NUS

Commentary discussing the same 10-patient scalp-cooling pilot reported in the 2017 abstract: seven received CarbonCool scalp cooling and three did not. Lower mean hair-follicle drug concentrations were observed. The small groups and lack of adjustment for chemotherapy regimens or doses limit conclusions; this is not an independent efficacy trial. DOI: 10.1007/s00520-018-4324-9.

Reduction of Chemotherapy Concentrations in Hair Follicles After Scalp Cooling for Prevention of Chemotherapy-Induced Alopecia (PDF, opens in a new tab)

Chae JW, Wu X, Ng T, et al. · MASCC conference abstract, Supportive Care in Cancer 25(Suppl 2):S55 · Abstract · 2017 · National University of Singapore, National Cancer Centre Singapore and collaborating institutions

Prospective open-label pilot of 10 breast-cancer patients receiving chemotherapy: seven with scalp cooling and three without. Lower mean hair-follicle drug concentrations were reported in the cooling group. The subsequent 2018 commentary identifies CarbonCool as the device used and discusses the same cohort; these are preliminary biomarker findings, not proof of alopecia prevention.