Induced therapeutic hypothermia following cardiac arrest in children.

OBJECTIVE: Evidence-based medicine currently dictates that in children, the controlled hypothermia may be applied only to the first degree and only in cases of neonatal encephalopathy and acute brain injury. Current recommendations are limited in terms of indication as well as by their very low degree of relevance (47.1%).

DATA SOURCE: The conclusions of published clinical and experimental studies, and ultimately the ongoing study of our clinical work. In our study, we monitored the core body temperature, brain bioelectrical potentials and infarction, heart rate, systemic venous and arterial pressure, cardiac output, hourly diuresis, and haemostasis parameters.

STUDY SELECTION: Distinct designs of clinical and experimental studies make it difficult to compare their outputs.

DATA SYNTHESIS: The aim of this article is to expand our current knowledge of resuscitation care in children as well as that of the use of therapeutic hypothermia. The introduction of this method into routine pediatric clinical practice is hindered by lack of an explicitly defined therapeutic protocol.

CONCLUSION: The method of therapeutic hypothermia is not a predictor of survival but its proper implementation can be the key to the recovery of functions of body organs and systems after successful cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Unfortunately, this method is associated with adverse effects, namely with myocardial depression during the induction phase, and life-threatening complications after bringing the core of body to normal temperature. To increase the patient safety we have developed a safe strategy. Our protocol provides a relatively rapid induction, short interval of active cooling and passive rewarming over a long period of time (Tab. 3, Fig. 1, Ref. 34). Full Text in free PDF www.bmj.sk.