title: How effective is "code freeze" in post-cardiac arrest patients?
abstract: The use of therapeutic hypothermia or "code freeze" dates back to over 100 years in attempts to resuscitate injured soldiers, preserve limbs, and to provide analgesia for amputations. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of code freeze through a retrospective review of 187 charts of patients who had a cardiac arrest while hospitalized in a 1-year period. Data were collected to determine which post-cardiac arrest patients received the induced therapeutic hypothermia intervention and why they were selected for induced therapeutic hypothermia. The data were compared with post-cardiac arrest patients who did not receive the code-freeze intervention and why they were not eligible for the intervention. Mortality rates between the 2 patient populations were also compared. The results from this study are presented in this article.
authors.affiliation: Spartanburg Regional Medical Center, SC, USA. jnyjol@aol.com
authors.forename: Jenny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jolley
authors.forename: Roy Ann
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Sherrod
mesh_terms: D016887:Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D059019:Clinical Coding; D005260:Female; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D007036:Hypothermia, Induced / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013023:South Dakota; D014193:Trauma Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016896:Treatment Outcome