ABC: časopis urgentne medicine (Jan 2015)
Methods of therapeutic hypothermia
Abstract
INTODUCTION: Therapeutic hypothermia is a controlled lowering of the central body temperature to 32-34 *C for therapeutic purposes and is recommended as a standard in treating diseased patients. The results of the studies refer to a positive outcome of the therapeutic hypothermia on survival and neurological recovery of the patients, therefore this method is included in the reanimation guidelines as a standard method of assistance. According to the current recommendations of ERC and AHA (2010), therapeutic hypothermia is recommended to patients in a coma who have survived a cardiac arrest regardless of the initial rhythm (class Ia for VF and VT without pulse and class IIb for asystoly in BEA) OBJECTIVE OF THIS WORK: The objective of this work is to present the methods/ techniques of the therapeutic hypothermia, its advantages and deficiencies. METHOD OF WORKING: Analysis of the former methods/ techniques of the therapeutic hypothermia. METHODS: Techniques of the therapeutic hypothermia can be divided into external cooling methods and invasive cooling methods. External cooling methods are: Cold icy compresses and packages of ice, adhesive gel wraps, air or water cooled covers/overalls, air or water cooled caps or helmets. Invasive methods of cooling: infusion with cold solutions, lavage with cold solutions (nausogastric, peritoneal, rectal), intravascular cooling machines, extracorporal circulation. CONCLUSION: If the therapeutic hypothermia was started on prehospital level it is very important to proceed with it in hospital conditions. Methods of hypothermia should be simple, easy to perform, available and cheap.
