Temperature Management Devices Are Hot

One person was trapped in the snow; another fell into an icy lake; the tales have been told of people suffering some type of neurological or cardiac event in which damage was minimized because of exposure to extreme cold. Doctors have long theorized that being able to precisely warm (hyperthermia) and cool (hypothermia) patients, depending on their conditions and surroundings, would be beneficial in a variety of neurological and cardiovascular procedures. Between 1996 and 1998 these hypotheses gave rise to a group of medical device start-ups dedicated to developing temperature management systems, including Medivance Inc. , Cardeon Corp. , Radiant Medical Inc. , and Innercool Therapies Inc. Other companies operating in this space include Alsius Inc. and Seacoast Technologies Corp. (See "Medical Device's Ice Age," IN VIVO, January 2001 Also see "Medical Device's Ice Age" - In Vivo, 1 January, 2001.; "Medivance: Climate Control for the Body," IN VIVO, July 2001 Also see "Medivance: Climate Control for the Body" - In Vivo, 1 July, 2001.;"Innercool Therapies Inc.," START-UP, January 2000 Also see "Innercool Therapies Inc." - Medtech Insight, 1 January, 2000.;"Radiant Medical Inc.," START-UP, May 2000 Also see "Radiant Medical Inc." - Medtech Insight, 1 May, 2000.;"Cardeon Corp.," START-UP, October 2000 Also see "Cardeon Corp." - Medtech Insight, 1 October, 2000..)

The big question in temperature management has been whether clinical data would validate the bets these companies made in this space. Since these therapies are used in high-risk patients, which...