[A case of hypoxic brain damage induced by severe asthma successfully treated by hypothermia therapy]

We experienced a case of hypoxic brain damage induced by severe asthma who was successfully treated by hypothermia. A 20-year-old woman with a history of bronchial asthma suffered from severe respiratory distress and she stopped breathing for about 20 minutes. She was admitted to our hospital with respiratory arrest, deep coma, mydriasis and weak motor response to pain. She was intubated and mechanically ventilated with 100% oxygen. She was cooled down to 33 degrees C within 4 hours of her arrival. Her body temperature was maintained at about 33 degrees C for 2 days, and then gradually rewarmed. During hypothermia, PaCO2 was quite high(80-100 mmHg), but the intracranial pressure was kept low. After hypothermia therapy, she became free from consciousness disturbance and there were no neurological disorders except for mild myoclonus. Hypothermia has a possibility of effective therapy for patients with hypoxic brain damage after respiratory distress.