title: Cooling the fire: resuscitated sudden death.
abstract: Care of the patient with return of spontaneous circulation following sudden cardiac death is complex and challenging. A systematic and comprehensive approach can increase the chances of meaningful recovery of the postarrest patient. This article focuses on a systematic approach to the postarrest patient, which includes optimizing oxygenation and ventilation, maintaining adequate perfusion pressure, monitoring oxygen delivery, initiating and maintaining therapeutic hypothermia, and identifying patients appropriate for emergent cardiac catheterization. Using this approach, providers treating the postarrest patient can maximize the chance that a patient walks out of the hospital neurologically intact.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Maryland Medical Center, 110 South Paca Street, 6th Floor, Suite 200, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
authors.forename: Semhar Z
authors.initials: SZ
authors.lastname: Tewelde
authors.forename: Michael E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Winters
mesh_terms: D016887:Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation; D016757:Death, Sudden, Cardiac; D004554:Electric Countershock; D006801:Humans; D007036:Hypothermia, Induced; D058687:Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest / Q000628:therapy*; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000628:therapy; D016896:Treatment Outcome