The likelihood of surviving and thriving after an out of hospital cardiac arrest has been low for a host of reasons. Over the years, evidence has been mounting that cooling may improve both survival and brain function in cardiac arrest patients. The balance of the data has now swung to the recommendation side. Reuters Health has prepared a report on cooling patients after cardiac arrest in order to reduce the risk of brain damage and offers readers a wealth of detail on therapeutic hypothermia, the available evidence of its effects, and some of the apparent reasons most hospitals have yet to put it into routine use.
Hypothermia for neuroprotection in adults after cardiopulmonary resuscitation from the Cochrane Collaboration 2010 can be accessed here.
The 2005 American Heart Association Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care; Part 7.5: Postresuscitation Support also discuss the implications for cooling after cardiac arrest.
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