A Mayo Clinic study published this month in the journal Neurology provides guidance to physicians using therapeutic cooling to treat sudden cardiac arrest patients.
One relatively new approach to prevent or reduce brain damage after sudden cardiac arrest involves the use of hypothermia or forced cooling. It is believed that mild therapeutic hypothermia suppresses harmful chemical reactions in the brain and preserves cell health.
One concern about the use of hypothermia for cardiac arrest patients is that it might delay a patient's post-event awakening. An evaluation 72 hours after the patient's collapse is useful in determining the prognosis, especially if the patient is awake.
However, Mayo Clinic researchers found that both patient groups — those who were and were not treated with therapeutic hypothermia — awoke an average of two days post-collapse, relieving previously held concerns. The researchers also found nearly all patients in both groups awakening within three days.
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One relatively new approach to prevent or reduce brain damage after sudden cardiac arrest involves the use of hypothermia or forced cooling. It is believed that mild therapeutic hypothermia suppresses harmful chemical reactions in the brain and preserves cell health.
One concern about the use of hypothermia for cardiac arrest patients is that it might delay a patient's post-event awakening. An evaluation 72 hours after the patient's collapse is useful in determining the prognosis, especially if the patient is awake.
However, Mayo Clinic researchers found that both patient groups — those who were and were not treated with therapeutic hypothermia — awoke an average of two days post-collapse, relieving previously held concerns. The researchers also found nearly all patients in both groups awakening within three days.
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