The Effect of Mild Therapeutic Hypothermia on the non-Vf Cardiac arrest

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Therapeutic hypothermia has been recommended for postcardiac arrest coma due to ventricular fibrillation (Vf). However, although it is well known that the cardiac arrest due to non-Vf is associated with poorer neurologic outcome that Vf, there is no study that evaluates the effect of mild hypothermia on the cardiac arrests due to non-Vf. So, we intend whether mild hypothermia would improve the neurologic outcome of them saftly. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the patients with cardiac arrest due to asystole or pulseless electrical activity who was presented at hopsital and successfully showed the return of spontaneous circulation. We divided the patients to two groups according to implementation of hypothermia and statistically compared the complication and neurologic outcome at discharge. RESULTS: A total of sixty one patients were analyzed in this study. Baseline clinical and physiological characteristic were similar between patients treated with mild hypothermia or with conservative treatment. The complication rate did not differ significantly between the two groups. However, the good outcome at hospital discharge was observed in 13 of 41 patients treated with mild hypothermia compared with 0 of 27 patients treated with conservative treatment. CONCLUSION: Mild therapeutic hypothermia for the treatment of postcardiac arrest due to non-Vf can be saftly implemented with a major benefit on patient outcome.