Systemic hypothermia has been shown to reduce neurological damage in postcardiac arrest patients. Most doctors conductively cool patients with liquid-circulating devices or ice. However, there is a lack of knowledge about the thermal response of tissue to localized cooling. Current thermal models are designed for determining human comfort and have not been evaluated for the targeted low temperatures required for inducing hypothermia. Metabolic heat generation and tissue perfusion rate can significantly change under low temperature, which in turn affects the overall heat flux and cooling rates.
This study evaluates the effects of geometry and blood flow in the upper leg by comparing numerical simulation results with previous experimental data.
A geometrically accurate 3D model of the Visible Human Male upper leg was simulated using COMSOL Multiphysics. The segmented tissue included skin, fat, muscle, and bone. Large blood vessels, femoral vein and artery, great saphenous vein, and anterior femoral vein, are...
