Paper
Friday, 21 July 2006
This presentation is part of : Acute Care Issues and Initiatives
Chill Out! The Use of Therapeutic Hypothermia After Cardiac Arrest
Nicole L. Kupchik, RN, BSN, CCRN-CM, Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, Harborview Medical Center/University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
Learning Objective #1: The learner should be able to describe the rationale, benefits and risks of inducing hypothermia in patients remaining comatose after cardiac arrest.
Learning Objective #2: The learner should be able to describe the effectiveness of protocol driven therapy.
Over 300,000 patients die each year from cardiac arrest.  With increased availability of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and early defibrillation, many patients are successfully resuscitated, but many suffer permanent neurological damage.  Without oxygen, brain death can occur in four to six minutes.  Therapeutic hypothermia has been successfully instituted in many hospitals across the US, Europe and Australia.  The goal of therapeutic hypothermia is to halt chemical processes that occur after a hypoxic event and to preserve maximal brain function.  Patients are cooled to a temperature of 33 degrees C for 12 to 24 hours.  The American Heart Association recently endorsed the use of hypothermia after cardiac arrest.  This lecture is targeted at acute care RNs caring for patients after cardiac arrest and nurses that may be responsible for developing and implementing protocols for the use of therapeutic hypothermia.  Prerequisite knowledge includes the general care of patients after cardiac arrest.    Practical nursing implications will be discussed targeting the bedside practitioner.   A review of current literature will be discussed as well as outcomes from the protocol. A segment of the lecture or poster will focus on the physiologic effects of hypothermia.  This knowledge will educate the bedside nurse on the signs and symptoms to observe for safe patient care.

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See more of The 17th International Nursing Research Congress Focusing on Evidence-Based Practice (19-22 July 2006)