Transparent cooling gel

Abstract

For cooling organs and tissues in transplantation medicine, only ice preparations are used so far which are not soft like a gel and are brought to the necessary degree of comminution by mechanically comminuting frozen, sterile, pyrogen-free isotonic infusion solutions, such as 5% glucose or 0.9% saline, with great effort. The lack of gel-like consistency of the preparations and the expensive production process are very disadvantageous. Therefore, it was necessary to produce a cooling preparation for transplantation medicine, which in a temperature range from −5° C. to 4° C. is gel-like and soft, transparent and sufficiently mechanically stable and yet remains formable. In accordance with the invention, such preparation can be produced from gelatin solutions in the concentration range of 3-20 wt-%, which are isotonized or adjusted to 280-650 mosmol/kg and are almost pH-neutral, by simple cooling and/or freezing.

1 . An aqueous solution for manufacturing a gel-like cooling preparation containing 3%-20% of gelatin or a gelatine derivative and with a content of physiologically acceptable electrolytes, with an osmolarity of 280-650 mosmol/kg. 
     
     
         2 . A The solution according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the gelatin or the gelatin derivative is urea cross-linked gelatin, oxypolygelatin or succinyl gelatin. 
     
     
         3 . The solution according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the gelatin or the gelatin derivative has a mean molecular weight of 25-45 kD, preferably 30-40 kD. 
     
     
         4 . The solution according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the solution contains 5%-15%, preferably 6%-9% of gelatin or gelatin derivative. 
     
     
         5 . The solution according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the solution contains
 150-300 mmol/l sodium   5-10 mmol/l potassium   1.5-3 mmol/l magnesium   1.5-3 mmol/l calcium   100-200 mmol/l chloride   30-60 mmol/l lactate.   
     
     
         6 . The solution according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the solution is sterile and pyrogen-free. 
     
     
         7 . A method for producing a cooling gel by cooling a solution according to  claim 1  by cooling the solution to a temperature of below −1° C., until the aqueous solution passes over into a mechanically stable, formable gel condition. 
     
     
         8 . A method for producing a cooling gel by cooling a solution according to  claim 1  by deep-freezing the solution to a temperature between −10° C. and −30° C. and later on heating the preparation to a temperature of ≧−5° C., until the hard frozen solution passes over into a mechanically stable, formable gel condition. 
     
     
         9 . The method for producing a cooling gel according to  claim 7  with the additional preceding method steps of the sterile filtration of the solution and/or the sterilization of the solution. 
     
     
         10 . A cooling gel produced by a method according to  claim 7 . 
     
     
         11 . AA method for cooling an organ before or during the transplantation by directly contacting the organ with a cooling gel which contains 3% to 20% gelatin or gelatin derivative.