Patent ID: 8449590

Claim:
An apparatus for the rapid cooling of a cranial region of a patient, comprising: an external housing that houses: a watertight compartment adapted to form a shroud that extends over the forehead, face, neck, and a top, back, and sides of said patient's head; an endothermic reactant reservoir containing a quantity of solid endothermic reactant which reacts endothermically with water; a water reservoir containing water, comprising a structural tank that includes a first movable internal panel that separates said structural tank and said endothermic reactant reservoir and a second movable internal panel that blocks said watertight compartment from filling with water, wherein said apparatus may be stored in a collapsed state; and a hammock adapted to accept the patient's head, wherein said hammock is adapted to fit within said shroud; and a front panel attached at its proximal base to the base of said external housing by a hinge, wherein said front panel is attached at its distal base to the external housing by two support bands extending from the distal base of said front panel to said external housing at a distance above the base of the external housing, wherein said hammock is supported by said support bands, further wherein said watertight compartment is located behind said front panel when said front panel is in a closed configuration.