Code Blue: To Cool or not to Cool?

Abstract

PICOT Question:

In patients who experienced cardiac arrest (P), how does therapeutic hypothermia (I) compare to patients not treated with therapeutic hypothermia (C) affect the patient’s neurologic wellbeing (O) within 24 to 72 hours (T)?

Abstract:

Therapeutic hypothermia has been in use for the last sixty years to protect the brain from ischemic injury. The aim of this project is to gather evidence on the use of therapeutic hypothermia to preserve neurologic function in cardiac arrest patients. We accessed the databases CINAHL, EBSCO, and Cochrane using the key terms therapeutic hypothermia and cardiac arrest. Our findings show that the use of therapeutic hypothermia over a time period of 12 to 24 hours in patients who have cardiac arrested helps to provide cerebral protection. Hospitals that practice therapeutic hypothermia as an early intervention have increased the likelihood that patients will have favorable neurological outcomes. More widespread use of therapeutic hypothermia will benefit the population of patients who have cardiac arrested.