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Review
. 2010 Jun;12(3):414-20.
doi: 10.1007/s12028-010-9334-5.

How I cool children in neurocritical care

Ericka L Fink  1 , Patrick M Kochanek, Robert S B Clark, Michael J Bell
Affiliations
Review

How I cool children in neurocritical care

Ericka L Fink et al. Neurocrit Care. 2010 Jun.

Abstract

Brain injury is the leading cause of death in our pediatric ICU [Au et al. Crit Care Med 36:A128, 2008]. Clinical care for brain injury remains largely supportive. Therapeutic hypothermia has been shown to be effective in improving neurological outcome after adult ventricular-arrhythmia-induced cardiac arrest and neonatal asphyxia, and is under investigation as a neuroprotectant after cardiac arrest and traumatic brain injury in children in our ICU and other centers. To induce hypothermia in children comatose after cardiac arrest we target 32-34 degrees C using cooling blankets and intravenous iced saline as primary methods for induction, for 24-72 h duration with vigilant re-warming. The objective of this article is to share our hypothermia protocol for cooling children with acute brain injury.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Clinical protocol for therapeutic hypothermia in children surviving cardiac arrest. ROSC, return of spontaneous circulation; CA, cardiac arrest; CVP, central venous pressure
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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    1. Fink EL, Clark RSB, Kochanek PM, Watson RS. Mild therapeutic hypothermia in a cohort of patients surviving cardiac arrest. CCM. 2007;35:A97.
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