To the Editor:
I would like to attest to the effectiveness of hypothermia in cardiac arrest (“Use of mild therapeutic hypothermia improves outcomes in cardiac arrest,” published in March 2010, p 43-48). My 49-year-old husband had a cardiac arrest in October of 2009.
Down time was estimated at 8 to 20 minutes. After 7 shocks and 45 minutes of resuscitation, a rhythm was achieved. He was whisked up to ICU and started on the hypothermic protocol that was just recently initiated at our hospital—he was their first patient!
As a PA, I have never seen such a quick recovery. You could see his neurologic improvement literally by the hour. In less than 6 weeks, my husband returned to work. And in December, for his 50th birthday, he went to a Buffalo Bills game to celebrate the team's 50 years as an organization.
I hope that more hospitals incorporate this protocol. It is not expensive to run and it is lifesaving!
Tatiana Mazur, RPA
Schenectady, New York