Implementation of Therapeutic Hypothermia after Pediatric Out-of Hospital Cardiac Arrest in One Tertiary Emergency Center

Kim, Woo Jin; Kim, Jin Joo; Jang, Jae Ho; Hyun, Sung Youl; Yang, Hyuk Jun; Lee, Gun

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Cardiac arrest in infants and children is rare than adults yet, it is critical. The efficacy and feasibility of therapeutic hypothermia after cardiac arrest in adults is proved through many studies however, there are few data on pediatric out-of hospital cardiac arrest. We analyzed several variables in pediatric therapeutic hypothermia after out-of hospital cardiac arrest.
METHODS
Infants and children (1 to 17 years old), who were admitted to our emergency intensive care units following the return of spontaneous circulation after out-of hospital cardiac arrest from Jan 2008 to Apr 2012, were included in this study. Basal patients' characteristics and variables about therapeutic hypothermia were analyzed.
RESULTS
A total of seventy-six patients visited our emergency center after a pediatric cardiac arrest during the study period. Among this, sixty-three patients received pediatric advanced life support, twenty one patients were admitted to intensive care units and nine patients received therapeutic hypothermia. Overall, the survival discharge was 7.9% (5 of 63). Among the admitted patients, 3 patients (14.3%) had a good Cerebral Performance Category (CPC). Two patients received endovascular cooling and seven patients received surface cooling. The mean time from the induction of therapeutic hypothermia to reaching the temperature with in the therapeutic range was 193.9 minutes. There were no critical adverse events during induction, maintenance and the rewarming period of therapeutic hypothermia.
CONCLUSIONS
Therapeutic hypothermia after pediatric out-of hospital cardiac arrest was performed safely and effectively in one emergency center. The standardized pediatric therapeutic hypothermia protocol should be established in order to be used widely in pediatric intensive care units. Further, larger studies are needed on the subject of pediatric therapeutic hypothermia.