Therapeutic Hypothermia after Sudden Cardiac Arrest. Make the Minutes Count
A middle-aged man named Paul, had a sudden cardiac arrest in 2010. The story was published on Youtube showing how his life was restored after the tragic and unexpected incident.
Paul is one of the few people who survived cardiac arrest which the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) said to be merely 3-7% according to its study “Improving neurological outcome after cardiac arrest: Therapeutic hypothermia the best treatment.”
Cardiac arrest leads to a sudden termination of blood flow leading to a quick exhaustion of cerebral oxygen, in short, a Neuronal damage happens. And it is highly suggested that Therapeutic Hypothermia is done right away after a successful resuscitation.
According to the said study, only 1 out of 6 patients survive from in-hospital cardiac arrest and 2-9% out-of-hospital patients survive and are able to go home. However, even if the patient can come home, some have poor quality survival as only 3-7% are able to return to their previous level of functioning.
Apparently, Paul had gone through Therapeutic Hypothermia. Medscape revealed that Therapeutic Hypothermia is one of the most important clinical advancements in the science of resuscitation.
It is a protocol that after receiving resuscitation, the patient is induced in a Therapeutic Hypothermia (TH) treatment. This is done through cooling the body temperature until the target temperature between 32°C to 34°C.
TH remains to be the best and “extremely robust and important therapy for cardiac arrest survivors and so far the only therapy consistently shown to reduce mortality and improve neurological outcomes in cardiac arrest survivors,” the study stated.
According to NCBI in its study “Therapeutic Hypothermia for Neuroprotection: History, Mechanisms, Risks, and Clinical Applications,” TH is said to date back 5000 years ago and was initially recommended to use snow and ice packing in treating a patient suffering from Hemorrhage.
Currently, there are numerous known cooling and rewarming methods. These include the use of ice packs, blankets, helmets, catheter-based technologies, infusion of cold fluids and surface heat-exchange devices to achieve the necessary body temperature for a long-term neurologically intact survival rates.
Since TH has a known beneficial effect in comatose survivors especially those out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients, it should be initiated within 24 hours if not immediately. And NCBI suggests that although all methods are proven to be effective, the most useful and accurate to use are usually devices featuring pads with a thermal gel connected to a thermoregulator unit.
The device can either reduce or increase the circulating water temperature to reach the target temperature for the patient. And since it can be controlled and monitored, overcooling rarely happens and NCBI suggests that this is a safe and effective method.
HealthSolutions, the distributor of the BARD ARCTIC SUN® 5000 offers the new temperature management system that assures a new standard for performance and simplicity.
The BARD ARCTIC SUN® 5000 is a device used to induce Therapeutic Hypothermia to a patient in a fast, and easy method because it includes and user-friendly touch screen interface system to guide clinicians to initiate treatment with a few steps.
It performs in a way that assures targeted time because of its enhanced chiller and precondition function. It also has a customized feature that fits each hospital’s protocols as it stores and operates hospital-specific protocols to achieve treatment consistency.
The device also assures excellent clinician-to-patient ratio that features the revolutionary ARCTICGEL™ Pads feature a thin hydrogel coating that ensures they maintain contact with the patient’s skin throughout the treatment.
The pads, which are able to conduce energy transfer, when placed on different parts of the body, mimic water immersion.
In order for families and friends to spend more valuable time with each other, we have to make each minute count and invest on the best way to have the highest possible chance of survival and functionality. For further inquiries on Therapeutic Hypothermia or BARD’s ARCTIC SUN® 5000 Temperature Management System, the following contact details are available:
G/F Tao Corporate Center, 2291 Don Chino Roces Avenue, Makati City
TEL (632) 8365858 to 62
FAX (632) 8365863
Service Hotline (632) 8365853