Medical Cooling of Ice Hockey Players

Selective Head-neck Cooling Following Concussion Shortens Return-to-play in Ice Hockey Players

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.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Sports-related Concussions, Selective Head-neck Cooling, Return to Play
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: selective head-neck cooling using PolarCap system

Detailed 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.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 81
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Sweden
  • Lund, Sweden, 221 00
    • University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

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.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Study group; Players receive selective head-neck cooling after concussion	Device: selective head-neck cooling using PolarCap system; Players receiving selective head-neck cooling after SRC
No Intervention: control group; Players receive the standard sport-related concussion management

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
return-to-play	The primary endpoint of the study was time (in days) from concussion until returning to full practice or game	two weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Region Skane

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): June 1, 2018
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 1, 2020
• Study Completion (Actual): July 1, 2020

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 28, 2020
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 7, 2021
• First Posted (Actual): January 8, 2021

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): January 8, 2021
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 7, 2021
• Last Verified: December 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: BC123122334

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No