Rapid cooling of body and/or brain by irrigating with a cooling liquid

An apparatus for selective and non-invasive cooling of the brain comprising:

• a first nasal catheter sized to be received through a first nostril of a patient, the first nasal catheter having a length selected so that a proximal end extends out of the first nostril of the patient and a distal end of the first nasal catheter is located in the vicinity of the nasopharynx of the patient when the first nasal catheter is received through the first nostril;
• a pair of esophageal catheters comprising a first esophageal catheter and a second esophageal catheter, each of the pair of esophageal catheters being sized to be inserted into the esophagus of the patient and having a length that extends past the hypopharynx of the patient, wherein the first esophageal catheter terminates with a cuff that restricts the flow of fluid past the cuff and the second esophageal catheter has a distal end that terminates within the esophagus proximal to the cuff;
• and
• a pair of tracheal catheters comprising a first tracheal catheter and a second tracheal catheter, each of the pair of tracheal catheters being sized to be inserted into the trachea of the patient, wherein the first tracheal catheter terminates with a cuff that restricts the flow of fluid past the cuff and the second tracheal catheter has a distal end that terminates distal to the cuff to allow the passage of air into and out of the lungs of the patient.