Prehospital therapeutic hypothermia for comatose survivors of cardiac arrest: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Spontaneous cooling alone is insufficient to induce therapeutic hypothermia before hospital admission. Infusion of ice-cold fluid after return of spontaneous circulation was found to be well tolerated and effective. This method of cooling should be considered as an important first link in the 'cold chain' of prehospital comatose cardiac arrest survivors.