Therapeutic Hypothermia: Preventing Damage After Cardiac Arrest

Introduction Hypothermia therapy for patients after cardiac arrest has been a treatment based on the basis of this therapy for about 10 years. This type of intervention is frequently used in intensive care units, but now it is extended to major emergency personnel. In this article I will introduce some important research on hypothermia therapy and current use of this intervention. Control studies, animal studies and case studies related to these medical interventions have been published.

Hypothermia therapy (controlled to lower the temperature in the central part of the body) protects cells from injury after cardiac arrest, stroke, and traumatic brain injury. It has been shown that therapeutic hypothermia therapy can reduce spinal cord swelling and inflammation after injury in animal models and small-scale limited human studies. It also reduces damage to susceptible neurons after primary injury, reduces damage to the spinal cord microvasculature, and improves functional outcome. Researchers are studying the safety and efficacy of hypothermia in various periods after spinal cord injury

Cooling of adults after cardiac arrest, spontaneous recovery (ROSC), but recovery of consciousness can not improve prognosis. This process is called target temperature management (formerly known as therapeutic hypothermia). People are usually chilled for 24 hours at a target temperature of 32 - 36 ° C (90 - 97 ° F). To lower body temperature, there are various methods, such as attaching ice packs and cold water circulating mat directly to the body, injecting cold physiological saline solution. Then slowly reheat in 12 to 24 hours

Observation of tissue survival in certain low temperature environments has been evaluated as a promising emergency treatment for cardiac arrest (http://www.rnweb.com/rnweb/article/articleDartil.jsp?id=158218). Hypothermia involves placing an individual's body at a temperature below normal physiological temperature. After a successful outcome in the canine model, low temperature is currently being evaluated to protect the brain from serious irreversible damage during non oxygen stopping cessation. Several investigations have been conducted on direct and direct positive effects of hypothermia in cardiac arrest patients.