Capodaglio Paolo, Alito Angelo, Duguè Benoit Michel, Bouzigon Romain, Lombardi Giovanni, Miller Elzbieta Dorota, Verme Federica, Modaffari Giuseppe, Piterà Paolo, Ziemann Ewa, Fontana Jacopo Maria
Research Laboratory in Biomechanics, Rehabilitation and Ergonomics, IRCCS, Istituto Auxologico Italiano, San Giuseppe Hospital, Piancavallo, Italy.
Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
Front Rehabil Sci. 2025 Apr 15;6:1567402. doi: 10.3389/fresc.2025.1567402. eCollection 2025.
Whole-Body Cryostimulation (WBC) is a treatment that involves short exposures of the entire body to very cold and dry air in specially adapted cryochambers. A growing body of literature suggests the safe application of this technique in medical settings.
The primary purpose of this study was to generate an international consensus on the updated contraindications for WBC through an interactive process of questionnaire interspersed with controlled feedback from a steering committee.
The study design was based on a systematic review of the literature and Delphi methodology.
Administration of electronic online questionnaires concerning contraindications to WBC.
A multidisciplinary panel of 48 experts in the fields of rehabilitation, cardiology, neurology, endocrinology, oncology, clinical nutrition or in the clinical application of WBC was invited to participate in this consensus study.
A systematic search of PubMed, Scopus and Embase databases was carried out to identify possible items for inclusion in a form. A two-round Delphi survey was then conducted according to international guidelines, consisting of an electronic online questionnaire. The experts had to rate their agreement with each item in the questionnaires on a 5-point Likert scale. Expert consensus was assessed.
A total of 28 European experts participated in the Delphi survey. The first round consisted of 59 items, 3 of which were discarded after data analysis. The second round was rearranged according to the previous suggestions of the panellists. All 28 experts completed the two rounds. At the end of the survey, consensus was reached and a final list of temporal and absolute contraindications to WBC was identified.
This process resulted in multidisciplinary expert consensus statements on contraindications to WBC. The European experts agreed on most of the decisions and produced a list of contraindications.
The results provide a robust evidence framework to help clinicians improve clinical practice and patient safety.
全身冷冻刺激疗法（WBC）是一种治疗方法，即将整个身体在特制的冷冻舱中短时间暴露于极冷且干燥的空气中。越来越多的文献表明该技术在医疗环境中的安全应用。
本研究的主要目的是通过问卷调查的互动过程，并穿插指导委员会的可控反馈，就WBC更新后的禁忌症达成国际共识。
本研究设计基于文献的系统评价和德尔菲法。
进行关于WBC禁忌症的电子在线问卷调查。
邀请了康复、心脏病学、神经病学、内分泌学、肿瘤学、临床营养领域或WBC临床应用方面的48位多学科专家组成的小组参与这项共识研究。
对PubMed、Scopus和Embase数据库进行系统检索，以确定可能纳入表格的项目。然后根据国际指南进行两轮德尔菲调查，包括电子在线问卷。专家们必须根据5级李克特量表对问卷中的每个项目表示同意程度。评估专家共识。
共有28位欧洲专家参与了德尔菲调查。第一轮包括59个项目，其中3个在数据分析后被舍弃。第二轮根据小组成员之前的建议重新编排。所有28位专家都完成了两轮调查。调查结束时，达成了共识，并确定了WBC的临时和绝对禁忌症的最终清单。
这一过程产生了关于WBC禁忌症的多学科专家共识声明。欧洲专家在大多数决定上达成一致，并制定了一份禁忌症清单。
研究结果提供了一个有力的证据框架，以帮助临床医生改善临床实践和患者安全。
