Vol. 10, Issue 1, Part C (2024)

Therapeutic Hypothermia has proven neuroprotective effects in global cerebral ischemia. Indications for hypothermia induction include cardiac arrest and neonatal asphyxia. The two general methods of induced hypothermia are either surface cooling or endovascular cooling. The therapeutic effects of hypothermia were discussed as early as 400 BC when Hippocrates mentions the use of snow and ice to reduce haemorrhage in patients. Therapeutic hypothermia has also been used in head-injured patients for the control of increased intracranial pressure that is refractory to hyperventilation, osmotherapy, ventricular drainage and barbiturates. Therapeutic hypothermia involves the controlled reduction of core temperature to attenuate the secondary organ damage which occurs following a primary injury. Therapeutic hypothermia is a treatment that lowers a new-born’s body temperature in order to prevent or minimize brain damage caused by lack of oxygen or another injury before or during birth.