Medical Cooling of Ice Hockey Players

Region Skane

Status

Completed

Conditions

Sports-related Concussions, Selective Head-neck Cooling, Return to Play

Treatments

Device: selective head-neck cooling using PolarCap system

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT04701125

BC123122334

Details and patient eligibility

About

The incidence of Sports-related concussions (SRCs) has risen in recent years, not least in ice hockey, and available treatment options are limited. Here, we addressed the hypotheses that immediate controlled head- and neck cooling could hasten return-to-play in a Swedish cohort of concussed professional ice hockey players. Over three seasons, 15 teams used either immediate head- and neck cooling or standard management for SRC. All players (81) followed the same return-to-play management protocol.

Full description

Sports-related concussions (SRCs) are a growing health concern, since they may lead to persistent symptoms and, particularly if repeated, to e.g. depression, accelerated dementia onset, and development of chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Here, we addressed the hypotheses that immediate controlled head- and neck cooling could hasten return-to-play in a Swedish cohort of concussed professional ice hockey players. Over three seasons, 15 teams used either immediate head- and neck cooling or standard management for SRC. All players followed the same return-to-play management protocol. Using a baseline questionnaire, no difference in the number of previous SRCs between groups was observed. In total, 92 SRCs were recorded. Eleven players did not complete the study protocol, and thus 81 players were included. Of these, 29 were treated by immediate selective head- and neck cooling for ≥ 30 min, and 52 controls received standard acute SRC management.

Enrollment

81 patients

Sex

All

Ages

18+ years old

Volunteers

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Elite ice hockey players diagnosed by a team physician to have suffered a sports-related concussion. Selective head-neck cooling following the concussion. Duration of cooling a minimum of 45 minutes.

Exclusion criteria

Presence of red flags (loss of consciousness, seizure, worsening headache, repeated vomiting, focal neurological deficits, neck pain, tingling in arms). Inability to tolerate cooling for a minimum of 30 minutes. Age <18 years old.