City Paramedics Now Use Hypothermia Therapy in Ambulances to save Cardiac Arrest Patients
BY Frank Lombardi
City paramedics have begun a pioneering program to treat some cardiac arrest victims in ambulances with a body-chilling therapy that can increase survival rates without brain damage.
Up to now, hypothermia therapy - in which a chilled saline solution is administered intravenously to decrease body temperature by as much as nine degrees - has only been provided once patients reached prescribed hospitals.
Lowering body temperature has been found to slow down the brain's need for oxygen, providing precious additional time to rush victims to emergency rooms where the cause of the cardiac arrest can be found and treated.