FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 12, 2009
ST. JOHN’S
USING THERAPEUTIC HYPOTHERMIA
TO TREAT CARDIAC PATIENTS
St. John’s Hospital in
Springfield is working to stop the clock with a procedure for cardiac
arrest patients. Therapeutic hypothermia for post-cardiac patients is a
protocol aimed at limiting brain damage in patients of cardiac arrest.
St. John’s physicians have treated 17 patients with this procedure since
it became available earlier this year. About 30 physicians are able to
use the protocol.
Since most brain damage occurs after the heart has been restarted after
a cardiac arrest, this protocol is intended to limit the brain’s demand
for oxygen in an effort to avoid damage to brain function.
“The goal of therapeutic hypothermia in the patient suffering a cardiac
arrest, who does not awaken after the arrest, is to preserve brain
function,” said Mark McClanahan, Director of Nursing for St. John’s
Cardiovascular Intensive Care Units.
After cardiac arrest, the brain is sensitive to a lack of oxygen and
this lack of oxygen starts several damaging cascade events that lead to
brain cell death.
Therapeutic hypothermia accomplishes the goal of limiting brain damage
by reducing oxygen demand of the brain reducing or stopping the damaging
cascades, and reducing inflammation, caused by a lack of oxygen. all of
which can lead to brain cell death.
“Therapeutic hypothermia is only initiated after a patient is revived
with a pulse and is in a comatose state,” McClanahan said.
The goal of this protocol is to induce mild hypothermia at 91.6 degrees
Fahrenheit for a period of 24 hours. According to McClanahan, the three
phases to therapeutic hypothermia are:
●
Initiation – infusing cold saline into the patient by an IV, use of ice
bags, or cooling blanket, and use of the hypothermia machine.
●
Maintenance – use of a hypothermia machine that circulates cold saline
through a series of balloons via a special catheter the physician
inserts into the patient. The cold saline re-circulates through the
balloons by the hypothermia machine and is not infused into the patient.
●
Re-warming – patients are
re-warmed very slowly over a period of 8 hours or longer using the
machine to manage the re-warming process
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