Sudden cardiac arrest is a killer, causing more than 350,000 deaths a year. Even if patients survive, chances are high that they will have permanent brain damage. One way to save lives and lessen the risk of brain damage is to quickly cool the patient’s core body temperature and brain through a process called therapeutic hypothermia.

With its Cool It program, the Minneapolis Heart Institute® at Abbott Northwestern Hospital has become a national leader in using therapeutic hypothermia in patients who are resuscitated after cardiac arrest. In fact, it is the first program in the country to provide emergency angioplasty and therapeutic hypothermia at the same time.

Many different health care providers and medical specialists must work closely together to treat patients with hypothermia. Cooling often begins before the patient is transferred to Abbott Northwestern. Special equipment, medications and processes are used to cool the patient to the ideal temperature quickly. Then the patient is carefully managed by cardiologists, intensive care doctors, rehabilitation specialists and others throughout treatment and recovery.

The Minneapolis Heart Institute® at Abbott Northwestern Hospital has developed standardized guidelines and systems to care for all cardiovascular emergencies. These streamlined processes have been applied to the Cool It program and are contributing to the program’s success. The survival rate of cardiac arrest patients treated with therapeutic hypothermia is significantly higher than what would be expected without the treatment.