Caring for patients receiving therapeutic hypothermia post cardiac arrest in the intensive care unit

Survivors of ventricular fibrillation cardiac arrest have poor and often devastating neurological outcomes despite advances in resuscitation techniques and services (Bernard et al., 2002; Collins & Samworth, 2008). In an effort to increase survival rates, improve neurological outcomes and reduce mortality for surviving patients, clinical trials have shown that a mild state of therapeutic hypothermia (32 degrees C to 34 degrees C) has been linked to improved patient outcomes post cardiac arrest (Koran, 2008; Lee & Asare, 2010). Many hospitals in Canada currently use therapeutic hypothermia (TH), but the nursing care requires advanced nursing knowledge and skills. In an effort to prepare registered nurses to care for patients receiving TH, a specially designed education program was implemented at the Rouge Valley Health System Hospital (RVHS) in Ontario. Busy nurses need flexibility in the delivery of programs in the clinical setting, and this program was designed to meet that need with a combination of self-paced modules, lectures, discussions and a return demonstration. In this article, the authors discuss the nursing care of post cardiac arrest patients receiving TH, and the design and implementation of the education program.