DonJoy Ice-Man Model 1100 Cold Therapy Unit Review
The Ice-Man Cold Therapy Unit is a device used to provide continuous cold therapy or ice therapy following a surgical procedure. We used this device following ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) surgery. The purpose of the device is to provide cold/ice therapy continuously without having to keep changing ice packs out manually.
DonJoy Ice-Man Model 1100 Review: How it Works
The Ice-Man device consists of a small cooler or ice chest, a rubberized hose with thermometer, a pad, and an electrical power supply. The ice chest must be filled with ice up to a fill line, and then filled with cold water. Then seal the lid onto the ice chest. Next place the pad over the body part which needs to be iced, but do not allow it to contact skin directly. Rubber hose is connected to ice chest and the other end is to be connected to the pad. Once the power is turned on, the pump will circulate the ice water through the hose and into the pad in a recirculation fashion. Next plug in the electrical power supply. The pump will start. There is a thermometer on the hose which shows the temperature of the pad. The Ice-Man may be left on continuously for 2-3 hours, or cycled on and off as per the physician’s orders.
DonJoy Ice-Man Model 1100 Review: Ease of Use
Ice must be added to the Ice-Man every 3 hours or so. This means a constant supply of ice must be available. The icemaker in my refrigerator could not keep up with the demand, so I purchased several 10 pound bags of ice and kept them in a separate cooler. The Ice-Man is heavy and must be carried into the kitchen sink and dumped out and then refilled every 2-3 hours. The hose is permanently attached to the ice chest, so that must be carried along with the ice chest and this is cumbersome. When filled with ice, the device is heavy. The device must be placed on a low table or bench in order to raise it to the height appropriate for bedside use. When disconnecting the hose from the pad, there is some leakage of cold ice water which is uncomfortable for the patient. There is no on/off switch, and the only way to turn the device off is to unplug the electrical connection. The electrical cord is not long enough to be convenient to a plug in all cases.
DonJoy Ice-Man Model 1100 Review: Cleanup
The cleanup is very easy; simply dump out the Ice-Man ice chest and rinse. Dry off parts with towel. Place plastic caps over ends of hose. Wrap hose around ice chest and secure in provided clips.
DonJoy Ice-Man Model 1100 Review: Price
This device is rented and paid for by insurance plan. The insurance plan is charged approximately $850.00 for a 2-week rental. Thus, if you do not have medical insurance, this would not be affordable.
DonJoy Ice-Man Model 1100 Review: Satisfaction Rating
Overall I was very satisfied with the DonJoy Ice-Man device. It saved time and effort for the caregiver as it only had to be tended to once every 2-3 hours. It offered pain relief and comfort to the patient. Some improvements that I would like to see are a lighted temperature/thermometer gauge for nighttime use, instead of having to turn on the lamp and disturb the patient. Also, an improvement would be a cycling on/off timer, and the ability to detach the hose completely from the Ice-Man for refilling.
