Research

Two treatments yield similar results for children after cardiac arrest

HERSHEY, Pa. -- Emergency body cooling does not improve survival rates or reduce brain injury in infants and children with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest more than normal temperature control, according to the results of a large scale, multicenter study that included Penn State Hershey Medical Center.

Therapeutic hypothermia, or whole body cooling, can improve survival and health outcomes for adults after cardiac arrest and also for newborns with brain injury due to a lack of oxygen at birth. But, until now, this treatment has not been studied in infants or children admitted to hospitals with cardiac arrest.

The research findings were presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies' annual meeting in San Diego and published simultaneously in the New England Journal of Medicine. Penn State Hershey’s Dr. Neal Thomas, associate dean for clinical research, is an author on the paper.

More than 6,000 children suffer out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in the United States each year, according to the American Heart Association's 2015 heart disease and stroke statistics. During cardiac arrest, the heart stops pumping effectively, and blood stops flowing to the brain and other vital organs. In many cases, the outcome is death or long-term disability.

The study included 295 participants between 2 days and 18 years old who were admitted to children's hospitals for cardiac arrest, required chest compressions for at least two minutes and remained dependent on mechanical ventilation to breathe.

Children were randomly assigned to one of the two treatment groups. One group received body cooling for two days followed by three days of normal temperature control. Another group received normal temperature control for five days.

One year after treatment, researchers observed no difference in survival or cognitive function between groups.

The study was funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health. (U01-HL-094339 and U01-HL-094345)

Read the full NHLBI press release here.

Last Updated May 7, 2015

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