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Updated: Aug 5, 2026

Normothermic Cardiac Arrest and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation: A Mouse Model of Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury
Published on: August 30, 2011
A case of hypothermic cardiac arrest treated with an external chest compression device (LUCAS) during transport to
Peter Holmström1, James Boyd, Marko Sorsa
1Helsinki Emergency Medical Services, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, P.O. Box 112, FIN-00099 Helsinki City, Finland. peter.holmstrom@hel.fi
Abstract:
The recommended treatment for severe hypothermia with circulatory collapse is re-warming using cardiopulmonary by-pass. This may require transporting a patient to hospital with on-going cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Manual CPR during patient transport may result in sub-optimal chest compressions and can be a hazard for the ambulance crew. We report a case of a patient with a core temperature of 22.2 degrees C and crew-witnessed cardiac arrest due to hypothermia. After unsuccessful initial resuscitation he was transported to hospital for re-warming with cardiopulmonary by-pass. CPR was continued during transport using a mechanical active compression-decompression device (the LUCAS-device). During cardiopulmonary by-pass ROSC was achieved after 90 min of cardiac arrest. The patient recovered with a cerebral performance category of 3. Using a mechanical device for chest compressions during transport of a hypothermic patient with on-going CPR is feasible, effective and safe.
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