• Claranne Mathiesen, Denise McPherson, Carolyn Ordway, and Maureen Smith.
• Claranne Mathiesen is the director, medical operations, neuroscience service line, at Lehigh Valley Health Network, Allentown, Pennsylvania.Denise McPherson was director of the cardiac intensive care unit at Lehigh Valley Health Network when this article was written. That unit cares for patients undergoing therapeutic hypothermia after cardiac arrest.Carolyn Ordway is the patient care specialist, cardiac intensive care unit, at Lehigh Valley Health Network.Maureen Smith is the patient care specialist, neuroscience intensive care unit, at Lehigh Valley Health Network. claranne.mathiesen@lvhn.org.
• Crit Care Nurse. 2015 Oct 1; 35 (5): e1-e12.

AbstractNumerous studies have indicated that therapeutic hypothermia can improve neurological outcomes after cardiac arrest. This treatment has redefined care after resuscitation and offers an aggressive intervention that may mitigate postresuscitation syndrome. Caregivers at Lehigh Valley Health Network, Allentown, Pennsylvania, an academic, community Magnet hospital, treated more than 200 patients with therapeutic hypothermia during an 8-year period. An interprofessional team within the hospital developed, implemented, and refined a clinical practice guideline for therapeutic hypothermia. In their experience, beyond a protocol, 5 critical elements of success (interprofessional stakeholders, coordination of care delivery, education, interprofessional case analysis, and participation in a global database) enhanced translation into clinical practice.©2015 American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.

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