title: Therapeutic hypothermia after cardiac arrest and return of spontaneous circulation: it's complicated.
abstract: Providing evidence-based care to patients with return of spontaneous circulation after a cardiac arrest is a recent complex innovation. Once resuscitated patients must be assessed for appropriateness for therapeutic hypothermia, be cooled in a timely manner, maintained while hypothermic, rewarmed within a specified time frame, and then assessed for whether hypothermia was successful for the patient through neuroprognostication. Nurses caring for therapeutic hypothermia patients must be knowledgeable and prepared to provide care to the patient and family. This article provides an overview of the complexity of therapeutic hypothermia for patients with return of spontaneous circulation in the form of a case study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Critical Care Services, Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas, 3500 Gaston Avenue, Dallas, TX 75246, USA.
authors.forename: Ryan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Beseda
authors.affiliation: Department of Critical Care Services, Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas, 3500 Gaston Avenue, Dallas, TX 75246, USA. Electronic address: SusanH.Smith@baylorhealth.edu.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing Administration, Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas, 3500 Gaston Avenue, Dallas, TX 75246, USA.
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Veenstra
mesh_terms: D016887:Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation / Q000379:methods*; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007036:Hypothermia, Induced / Q000451:nursing*; D017694:Rewarming
keywords: Cardiac arrest; Resuscitation; Return of spontaneous circulation; Therapeutic hypothermia