Using of Liquid Nitrogen in Russian Single Cryotherapeutic Units

AIMS: the popularizing reliable information about the operation principle and advantages of Russian cryosaunas, the analysis of modern foreign publications devoted to cryotherapy equipment and technologies, the illustration of the reasons for the stagnation of the method of general cryotherapy in Western Europe, the formation of a well-founded idea about the competitive advantages of various types of cryotherapy equipment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: the article is written "based on" the work published by members of the IIR Working Group on Whole Body Cryotherapy/Cryostimulation, issued as an official IIR document. The authors of this publication claim that despite the rapid spread of the cryotherapy method, the technological foundations of the effectiveness of this method have not yet been determined, and the information of its clinical using is unreliable. This statement is contrary to reality, since in Russia technological recommendations for effectiveness and safety have been formulated and substantiated in relation to single-seat cryosaunas, information and clinical effects when using cryosaunas has been published, including in publications affiliated with the IIR, in which members of the cryotherapy development working group are published. Inaccurate information on the possibilities of using the whole body cryotherapy method discredits cryogenic therapy as a whole and hinders the distribution of highly effective domestic equipment. RESULTS: the article provides data on the discrepancy between the description of the operating principle of cryotherapeutic units with nitrogen cooling, a description of the history of the development of this class of cryomedical equipment, a description of the operating principle of single-seat cryosaunas, technological solutions that ensure the therapeutic effectiveness and safety of equipment using liquid nitrogen as a cryoagent. Information is provided on the reasons for the stagnation of the general cryotherapy method in Western European countries, the main one of which is the replacement of nitrogen cooling systems with compression refrigerators. CONCLUSIONS: the single-seat cryosaunas with nitrogen cooling are a highly effective means of non-drug medical care, the competitive advantages of which are based on the results of many years of scientific research.