• A Zeiner, M Holzer, F Sterz, W Behringer, W Schörkhuber, M Müllner, M Frass, P Siostrzonek, K Ratheiser, A Kaff, and A N Laggner.
• Department of Emergency Medicine, Intensive Care Units, University of Vienna, Austria.
• Stroke. 2000 Jan 1;31(1):86-94.

Background And PurposeRecent animal studies showed that mild resuscitative hypothermia improves neurological outcome when applied after cardiac arrest. In a 3-year randomized, prospective, multicenter clinical trial, we hypothesized that mild resuscitative cerebral hypothermia (32 degrees C to 34 degrees C core temperature) would improve neurological outcome after cardiac arrest.MethodsWe lowered patients' temperature after admission to the emergency department and continued cooling for at least 24 hours after arrest in conjunction with advanced cardiac life support. The cooling technique chosen was external head and total body cooling with a cooling device in conjunction with a blanket and a mattress. Infrared tympanic thermometry was monitored before a central pulmonary artery thermistor probe was inserted.ResultsIn 27 patients (age 58 [interquartile range [IQR] 52 to 64] years; 7 women; estimated "no-flow" duration 6 [IQR 1 to 11] minutes and "low-flow" duration 15 [IQR 9 to 23] minutes; admitted to the emergency department 36 [IQR 24 to 43] minutes after return of spontaneous circulation), we could initiate cooling within 62 (IQR 41 to 75) minutes and achieve a pulmonary artery temperature of 33+/-1 degrees C 287 (IQR 42 to 401) minutes after cardiac arrest. During 24 hours of mild resuscitative hypothermia, no major complications occurred. Passive rewarming >35 degrees C was accomplished within 7 hours.ConclusionsMild resuscitative hypothermia in patients is feasible and safe. A clinical multicenter trial might prove that mild hypothermia is a useful method of cerebral resuscitation after global ischemic states.

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