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ShareJuly 29, 2011 — Intravenous delivery of cold fluids to reduce body temperature quickly after a heart attack and improve neurologic outcomes may not be as effective in children as it is in adults, according to a study reported in Therapeutic Hypothermia and Temperature Management, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
In adults, therapeutic hypothermia to minimize neurological complications caused by cardiac arrest can be achieved by rapidly infusing cold (4oC) intravenous fluid. However, this might not be the optimal approach in children. Alexis Topjian, Michael Hamid, Larissa Hutchins, and Vinay Nadkarni, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, studied the effect of the infusion rate on the temperature of the cold IV fluid in three simulated pediatric patients of different weights.
"This is an important and timely contribution because it reinforces the point that children are not just small people but require specialized treatment strategies to target pediatric CNS injury," says Editor-in-Chief W. Dalton Dietrich, PhD, Kinetic Concepts Distinguished Chair in Neurosurgery, Professor of Neurological Surgery, Neurology and Cell Biology and Anatomy, University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., Publishers, via AlphaGalileo.
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Journal Reference:
- Alexis Topjian, Michael Hamid, Larissa Hutchins, Vinay Nadkarni. Can a Cold (4°C) IV Fluid Bolus to Induce Therapeutic Hypothermia Really Deliver 4°C to Children? Therapeutic Hypothermia and Temperature Management, 2011; 1 (2): 95 DOI: 10.1089/ther.2011.0003
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
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