Hypothermia and Cardiac Arrest
Cardiac issues can cause problems all over the body, including the brain. Slowing down the body's processes by inducing hypothermia can be a way to help reduce the effects of oxygen loss that occurs during a cardiac event. Many people do not understand the connection between hypothermia and cardiac arrest, but this connection can be very beneficial for the prospective health outlook of the patient. How does hypothermia help the patient who is in cardiac arrest?
Hypothermia and cardiac arrest are terms that go together because of research done that shows inducing hypothermia reduces problems associated with cardiac arrest. It's not a sure-fire approach to helping cardiac patients, but it provides options and successes that may not be available otherwise.
Do you remember hearing stories of people falling into frozen pools or lakes and being rescued hours later, only to find that they return to full health? This is much the same principle as with hypothermia and cardiac arrest. Bringing the temperature of the body down can help to slow brain function and blood flow to keep the cardiac issues from affecting the body as significantly. It has been found to decrease cardiac fatalities by as much as 35 percent and increase the chance of a good neurological outcome by as much as 39 percent. These are large percentages that can have a huge impact upon the health of a patient.
Hypothermia can be induced in several different ways. A cooling catheter that circulates cold saline solution is one method that is used to induce hypothermia in cardiac patients. This method has been found to be much faster than other cooling methods and is used quite frequently. Another method of inducing hypothermia in cardiac patients is by using a cooling hypothermia blanket. Cold water is pushed through the blanket using positive pressure to decrease the patient's temperature. At least 80 percent of the body must be covered for maximum efficiency to help the patient.
There are some issues with both of these methods of inducing hypothermia, but the benefits far outweigh the risks. Complications from inserting the central venous line for the catheter method of inducing hypothermia are the major risk of this method, but since the patients are normally very ill, this is not something this be concerned with. The cooling blanket method is very imprecise and takes very careful monitoring by the staff to keep the patient at a temperature that will give them the best chance possible after cardiac arrest.
Hypothermia and cardiac arrest have a strong correlation between them, especially when it comes to increasing the chance of a good outcome after a cardiac event. The earlier the hypothermia is induced after the cardiac event, the better outcomes that are seen, which is why it is essential to get medical help as soon as possible. Induced hypothermia has become the standard of care for patients who are in cardiac arrest to help them have the best possible outlook for the future.
