In winter, hypothermia is a valid concern for those of us living in the northern climes — it can be a dangerous, life-threatening condition. And, yet, according to the latest medical research, mild hypothermia may help in the recovery from another life-threatening condition — cardiac arrest.
What is hypothermia? This is a condition in which a person’s core body temperature is lowered. Body heat is lost due to prolonged exposure to low temperatures and improper clothing and protection in such conditions. Shivering and confusion are the first signs of a lower body core temperature, typically in the range of 90º to 95º F.
How does hypothermia help one recover from cardiac arrest? Cardiac arrest is different from a heart attack. Cardiac arrest occurs when the heart loses its rhythm or stops beating altogether. The person often loses consciousness because blood flow to the brain is halted. Cardiac arrests often strike without warning or follow a heart attack, and are usually fatal — nearly 90 percent of the 300,000 Americans who suffer cardiac arrest die each year.
In addition, there are complications following resuscitation. Once the heart is restarted, blood returns to blood-starved tissues and can cause secondary injuries because it creates a lot of oxidants that can damage tissue, cause inflammation or trigger cellular death. Revived patients often suffer from “total body inflammation,” a condition in which capillaries quit working and obstruct blood flow to organs.
Recent research indicates that rapidly lowering a person’s body core temperature for up to 24 hours following resuscitation dramatically increases a person’s rate of survival and neurological recovery. Doctors induce a mild state of hypothermia — dropping the body’s core temperature to 89º to 93º F — using ice packs, cooling blankets, catheters with refrigerated tips, or an intravenous drip of chilled saline solution. Researchers have found that mild hypothermia amends secondary injuries by altering the levels of the various oxidants following resuscitation, but are uncertain why this happens.
Next steps. Despite evidence supporting the use of mild hypothermia for cardiac arrest recovery, implementation of this treatment has been slow and difficult. A good first step has been initiated — as of 2009, New York City ambulances will only transport post cardiac patients to centers utilizing this practice.
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