RESEARCHERS in Scotland are carrying out early clinical trials on a potentially life-saving device for stroke patients.

The device, designed to cool blood before it reaches the brain in stroke patients, is being tested on volunteers at the University of Edinburgh.

Those behind Brain Cool say it works by cooling a patient's neck and therefore blood flow to the brain, a critical intervention for patients suffering from stroke.

Martin Waleij, chairman of the board for Brain Cool AB, said: "The number of patients who could potentially be helped by brain cooling is substantial."

Dr Malcolm Macleod, head of experimental neuroscience at the University of Edinburgh, added: "In time it might be possible to initiate brain cooling in the back of ambulances."