Studies of the impact of therapeutic cooling show reduced long-term brain damage and improved neurological function in sudden cardiac arrest patients. In the last few days, a professional football player and his doctors may have demonstrated similar neurological treatment benefits in association with spinal cord injury.
Cincinnati Sub-Zero (CSZ), a developer of advanced patient temperature management systems, including highly effective and efficient cooling products, recently reviewed the results of
successive years of cooling therapy studies around the world. "Improved outcomes in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients is clear in study after study of therapeutic hypothermia
solutions -- and these are human trials that have taken place in the US, Canada, Norway, Sweden, and other countries," said Mark Beran, Vice President and General Manager of CSZ Medical.
"ILCOR (The International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation) produced the first international guidelines to include therapeutic cooling in 2000. The New England Journal of Medicine first
noted hypothermia treatment benefits to cardiac patients in 2002. The American Heart Association published a therapy-supportive advisory statement in 2003, following an international
standard-setting review. And, the international community issued additional recommendations in 2005. More and more emergency services providers are adopting the treatment, and it is
increasingly clear that the solution timing -- the sooner, the better -- is vital," said Beran.
Where therapeutic cooling has been shown to halt brain cell death, it now may very well be illustrating it also can hinder spinal nerve death. In the case of the football player's
neurological damage, doctors and experts speculate the hypothermia may have contributed to slowing his body's ability to produce swelling and irritation, reducing the possibility of
spinal nerve death.
While controversy still exists regarding the exact means of neurological improvement, studies do show that patients receiving controlled cooling therapy are more likely to survive their
hospital stay, and be discharged with more neurological function.
The 1st Annual International Therapeutic Temperature Management (TTM Congress) will be held in Cancun, Mexico from December 4-7, 2007. The TTM Congress will convene experts from around
the world to review practices and research in therapeutic hypothermia and patient temperature modulation. CSZ Medical is an unrestricted educational grant sponsor for the event. More
information is available at TTMCongress.com (http://www.cszmedical.com) to learn more about CSZ, Medical Division.
Forward-Looking Statements
Except for statements of historical fact, the matters discussed in this press release are forward looking and reflect numerous assumptions and involve a variety of risks and
uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control and may cause actual results to differ materially from stated expectations. We undertake no obligation to release publicly the results
of any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances arising after the date hereof.
Contact:
Robin Piazza
Watermark Research Partners
317.576.1818