Emergency medicine practice
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Review Case Reports
Current evidence in therapeutic hypothermia for postcardiac arrest care.
The ring of the red notification phone breaks the relative calm of an otherwise typical Monday morning and heralds the arrival of a critically ill patient. The dispatcher announces that EMS is on the way with a 57-year-old man in cardiac arrest, with an ETA of 3 minutes. Shortly after preparations for their arrival are complete, EMS personnel enter with CPR in progress and the patient already intubated. ⋯ During the next rhythm check, QRS complexes are noted on the monitor and a pulse is palpated. The patient has had a return of spontaneous circulation, apparently 50 minutes from onset of the arrest. As you initiate postresuscitation care, you consider the patient's prognosis and wonder if he qualifies for therapeutic hypothermia; ie, will therapeutic hypothermia make a difference in his outcome?