Therapeutic Hypothermia after Cardiac Arrest in Paducah, Kentucky

Baptist Health Paducah: Therapeutic Hypothermia after Cardiac Arrest

Therapeutic hypothermia is the lowering of the body’s temperature after cardiac arrest to preserve neurological function. Learn more about therapeutic hypothermia protocol from Baptist Health.

Therapeutic Hypothermia after Cardiac Arrest in Paducah, Kentucky HealthTalks Transcript

Allison Rains, MD:
Therapeutic hypothermia is a lowering of the body’s core temperature after a cardiac arrest to preserve neurologic function. When we lower the body’s core temperature, the body shuts blood to its most vital organs, which would include the brain, in hopes that the brain would preserve its function.

The cooling involves placing several pads on the patient’s body, and we continuously run cool water through the pads to cool the temperature down. They’re cool for 24 hours, and then they’re re-warmed for 24 hours and at that point, we reassess their neurologic function.

Ms. Hoskins came in and was unresponsive. Soon thereafter, she went into cardiac arrest, which was a witnessed event. At that point she did not have any noticeable neurologic functions, so we decided to cool her body to try to preserve any neurologic function that she did have at that point.

Tammy Hoskins, Paducah, Kentucky:
When I woke up, I didn’t know what … I couldn’t really see anyone, and I didn’t know why I had all these tubes and stuff running from me everywhere. I’m like, what is this, where am I?

Dr. Rains:
I was very concerned that she wouldn’t walk out of the hospital. When we saw her, and she was back to baseline and normal, I was extremely happy.

Hoskins:
Baptist Health, I’m glad they had the right tools and technology to bring me back.