Patient cooling enclosure

1. An enclosure for use in cooling a patient to a core temperature below normal body temperature which comprises:

a base portion of sheet material which is joined to an upper portion of sheet material for enclosing a major portion of the patient's body, and

an inflatable rib for holding the upper portion out of contact with the patient's skin,

wherein said base and/or upper portion is associated with a conduit for conducting cooled air to the patient and directing such air to one or more points on the patient's body from which heat loss is rapid.

2. The enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the base portion is in the form of a base panel and the upper portion comprises one or more panels which are joined to the base panel by permanent or releasable fastenings to create an enclosure.

3. The enclosure of claim 2 wherein the base panel is connected to at least one header tube extending lengthwise of the panel, said header tube serving to feed cold air to outlets directed onto the patient's body.

4. The enclosure of claim 3 wherein said base panel includes one or more flaps for securing the enclosure to a mattress, bed or other supporting surface.

5. An enclosure for use in cooling a patient to a core temperature below normal body temperature, said enclosure comprising side and end panels and airways for directing cold air on parts of the patient's body from which heat loss is rapid, and header conduits for feeding cold air to the airways, wherein at least one of the panels includes an inflatable rib for assisting in holding the enclosure in an erect position.

6. The enclosure of claim 5 wherein the airways are directed onto the patient' neck and/or groin areas.

7. The enclosure of claim 5 which is secured to an air-inflated mattress and wherein the enclosure includes quick release connectors for connecting the header conduits to a mattress air supply.

8. The enclosure of claim 7 wherein the mattress is a low air loss mattress and the mattress air supply comprises a source of refrigerated air.

9. The enclosure of claim 3 wherein at least the upper panels are double-skinned and means are provided for feeding cold air between the skins of the upper panels to increase the insulation properties of the enclosure.

10. Apparatus for cooling a patient to a core temperature below normal body temperature which comprises:

a first, flexible panel for receiving the patient, one or more other flexible panels which are connected to the first panel and which are foldable over the patient to form an enclosure, wherein said other panels form a wall which is spaced substantially out of contact with the patient's skin at least partially by air pressure within the enclosure which is greater than ambient, and

at least one conduit connected to a source of refrigerated air, said base panel being supported on a mattress comprising a plurality of air inflated sacs, said conduit being connected to one or more outlets for directing a stream of air onto the patient's body.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said conduit extends longitudinally of the base panel.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said other panels are joined together by a re-sealable closure means to form the enclosure.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said conduit is connected to the same source of refrigerated air as the inflatable sacs.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising means for connecting said header to a source of warm air to assist in warming the core temperature of the patient to normal blood temperature.

15. The apparatus of 14 further comprising a means for gradually warming the enclosure while monitoring the patient's temperature.