How I cool children in neurocritical care

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Esophageal Heat Transfer for Patient Temperature Control and Targeted Temperature Management
06:43

Esophageal Heat Transfer for Patient Temperature Control and Targeted Temperature Management

Published on: November 21, 2017

Ericka L Fink1, Patrick M Kochanek, Robert S B Clark

  • 1Department of Critical Care Medicine, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA 15224, USA. finkel@ccm.upmc.edu

Neurocritical Care
|February 11, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Therapeutic hypothermia is being investigated to improve neurological outcomes in children with acute brain injury. This article shares a protocol for inducing hypothermia in pediatric patients following cardiac arrest.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric critical care medicine
  • Neuroscience
  • Emergency medicine

Background:

  • Traumatic brain injury and cardiac arrest are leading causes of death in pediatric intensive care units.
  • Current clinical care for pediatric brain injury is primarily supportive.
  • Therapeutic hypothermia shows promise as a neuroprotective strategy in various pediatric conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To outline a specific protocol for inducing therapeutic hypothermia in children with acute brain injury.
  • To provide a standardized approach for managing hypothermia in pediatric patients.

Main Methods:

  • Targeting core body temperatures of 32-34°C.
  • Utilizing cooling blankets and intravenous iced saline for rapid induction.
  • Maintaining hypothermia for 24-72 hours with careful re-warming.

Main Results:

  • The protocol details the methods for inducing and maintaining therapeutic hypothermia in pediatric patients.
  • Vigilant re-warming is a critical component of the protocol.

Conclusions:

  • This hypothermia protocol offers a structured approach for neuroprotection in pediatric acute brain injury.
  • Sharing this protocol can aid other centers in implementing therapeutic hypothermia for critically ill children.

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