Therapeutic hypothermia in cardiac arrest

Abstract

Therapeutic hypothermia (TH) following cardiac arrest is commonplace in many hospitals. It is thought to improve survival rates and offer neuroprotective benefits. However, its use in the pre-hospital arena is still uncertain. The objective of this literature review is to collect and consider evidence and address these uncertainties with a view to offering recommendations for practice. A systematic search was undertaken, and from the literature reviewed, there was no unanimous evidence that pre-hospital TH improves patient survival or neurological outcomes. It is clear that all of the different modes of initiating TH that were evaluated were effective in reducing patient temperature on arrival at hospital.