Targeted temperature management: a transatlantic view.

Abstract

Targeted temperature management (TTM) following out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and successful resuscitation has been introduced in order to reduce potential damage of the brain and the heart representing the key organ systems that are highly vulnerable following periods of low-level oxygen supply. Past clinical trials with TTM have demonstrated reduced organ damage caused by ischaemia/reperfusion and survival with better neurological outcome after OHCA. However, the recent TTM2 trial1 did not show a clinical benefit of lowering the body temperature below normothermia in survivors of OHCA thereby leading to a recently updated European Resuscitation Council (ERC)/European Society of Intensive Medicine (ESICM) recommendation for post-resuscitation care.2 SciencePulse has asked two leading experts on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, who recently joined their forces to recap on the history of clinical trials in this field,3 about their current approach to temperature management of patients in post resuscitation care.