Rapid implementation of therapeutic hypothermia in comatose out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survivors

Background: The implementation of therapeutic hypothermia (TH) into daily clinical practice appears to be slow. We present our experiences with rapid implementation of a simple protocol for TH in comatose out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survivors. Methods: From June 2002, we started cooling pre‐hospitally with sport ice packs in the groin and over the neck. In the intensive care unit (ICU), we used ice‐water soaked towels over the torso. All patients were endotracheally intubated, on mechanical ventilation and sedated and paralysed. The target temperature was 33 ± 1 °C to be maintained for 12–24 h. We used simple inclusion criteria: (i) no response to verbal command during the ambulance transport independent of initial rhythm and cause of CA; (ii) age 18–80 years; and (iii) absence of cardiogenic shock (SBP < 90 mmHg despite vasopressors). We compared the first 27 comatose survivors with a presumed cardiac origin of their OHCA with 34 historic controls treated just before implementation. Results: TH was initiated in all 27 eligible patients. The target temperature was reached in 24 patients (89% success rate). ICU‐ and hospital‐ length of stay did not differ significantly before and after implementation of TH. Hypokalemia (P= 0.001) and insulin resistance (P= 0.025) were more common and seizures (P= 0.01) less frequently reported with the use of TH. The implementation of TH was associated with a higher hospital survival rate (16/27; 59% vs. 11/34; 32%, respectively; P≤ 0.05). Our results indicate a population‐based need of approximately seven cooling patients per 100,000 person‐years served. Conclusion: Our simple, external cooling protocol can be implemented overnight in any system already treating post‐resuscitation patients. It was well accepted, feasible and safe, but not optimal in terms of cooling rate. Neither safety concerns nor costs should be a barrier for implementation of TH.