AJCC
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

American Journal of Critical Care. 2007;16: 636-640
Copyright © 2007 by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Respond to This Article
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Bader, M. K.
Right arrow Articles by Schiffman, G.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Bader, M. K.
Right arrow Articles by Schiffman, G.
CASES OF NOTE
Cases of Note features peer-reviewed case reports and case series that document clinically relevant findings from critical and high acuity care environments. Cases that illuminate clinical diagnoses and management issues in the treatment of critically and acutely ill patients and include discussion of the patient’s experience with the illness or intervention are encouraged. Proposals for future Cases of Note articles may be e-mailed to ajcc{at}aacn.org.

Keeping Cool: A Case for Hypothermia After Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

By Mary Kay Bader, RN, MSN, CCNS, CCRN, CNRN, Michael Rovzar, MD, Laurie Baumgartner, RN, MSN, ACNP, BC, CNS, CCRN, Robert Winokur, MD, Jon Cline, MD and George Schiffman, MD. Mary Kay Bader is a neuro/critical care clinical nurse specialist, Michael Rovzar is a physician in the Department of Medicine, Laurie Baumgartner was (at the time this manuscript was written) a clinical nurse specialist in the cardiac intensive care unit and telemetry, Robert Winokur is medical director of emergency services, Jon Cline is an emergency physician, and George Schiffman is a pulmonary intensivist at Mission Hospital, Mission Viejo, California.

Corresponding author: Mary Kay Bader, RN, Mission Hospital, 27700 Medical Center Rd, Mission Viejo, CA 92691-6426 (e-mail: Badermk{at}aol.com).

Abstract

Cessation of circulation during cardiac arrest causes critical end-organ ischemia. Although the neurological consequences of cardiopulmonary arrest can be catastrophic, an aggressive "push fast and push hard" resuscitation technique maintains blood flow until the return of spontaneous circulation. However, reperfusion to the cerebrum leads to cellular chaos and further neurological injury. Use of moderate hypothermia after cardiac arrest mediates these cellular and chemical processes, reducing the impact of the arrest and reperfusion phenomena. A 43-year-old man had 2 asystolic arrests with 20 minutes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation as a result of massive, multiple pulmonary emboli. After the cardiac arrest, the patient was comatose and posturing. The 2005 American Heart Association guidelines for cardiopulmonary resuscitation were used along with moderate hypothermia in an attempt to minimize the neurological consequences of the cardiopulmonary arrest and to optimize the patient’s outcome.






HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 2007 by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.