THERAPEUTIC HYPOTHERMIA SHOWS GREAT PROMISE FOR CARDIAC ARREST CASES
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
THERAPEUTIC HYPOTHERMIA SHOWS GREAT PROMISE FOR CARDIAC ARREST CASES
Septmeber 15, 2010 , Brooklyn, NY...A new city program, of which Lutheran is a participant, is growing in use and showing great results for cardiac arrest patients.
The treatment, known as therapeutic hypothermia, involves lowering a patient's body temperature slightly in order to slow the brain's demand for oxygen and prevent damage to cells. Bonnie Simmons, D.O., chair of Emergency Medicine, explained that Lutheran Medical Center's Emergency Department (ED), ICU and cardiology staff signed on immediately to participate.
Since the start of the pilot project, survival rates increased in 2009 by 20 percent as compared to the prior year, a change the city attributes to the cooling therapy. "The data is extremely encouraging," says emergency medicine expert and LMC ED attending, Gloria Tsan, M.D. "It's about reducing and avoiding brain damage and increasing the patient's quality of life." In recent news, NYC Paramedics will now be trained to offer the same life saving cooling therapy in the field.
Learn more about Project Hypothermia here.
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