A rapid, safe, and low-cost technique for the induction of mild therapeutic hypothermia in post-cardiac arrest patients

Aim of study

The benefits of inducing mild therapeutic hypothermia (MTH) in cardiac arrest patients are well established. Timing and speed of induction have been related to improved outcomes in several animal trials and one human study. We report the results of an easily implemented, rapid, safe, and low-cost protocol for the induction of MTH.

Methods

All in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients admitted to an intensive care unit meeting inclusion criteria were cooled using a combination modality of rapid, cold saline infusion (CSI), evaporative surface cooling, and ice water gastric lavage. Cooling tasks were performed with a primary emphasis on speed. The main endpoints were the time intervals between return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), initiation of hypothermia (IH), and achievement of target temperature (TT).

Results

65 patients underwent MTH during a 3-year period. All patients reached target temperature. Median ROSC-TT was 134 min. Median ROSC-IH was 68 min. Median IH-TT was 60 min. IH-TT cooling rate was 2.6 °C/h. Complications were similar to that of other large trials. 31% of this mixed population of IHCA and OHCA patients recovered to a Pittsburgh cerebral performance score (CPC) of 1 or 2.

Conclusion

A protocol using a combination of core and surface cooling modalities was rapid, safe, and low cost in achieving MTH. The cooling rate of 2.6 °C/h was superior to most published protocols. This method uses readily available equipment and reduces the need for costly commercial devices.