Allina's Minneapolis Heart Institute Study Backs Cold Treatment For Sudden Cardiac Arrest

[Wall Street Journal, July 12, 2011] A new study could bolster growing interest in a technique to chill the bodies of sudden cardiac-arrest patients that has been shown to help keep victims alive.Researchers found that of 140 patients who got the treatment, in which the body is quickly cooled after the heartbeat is restored, 56% survived to be discharged from the hospital—92% of them with most or all of their cognitive function intact.

"These patients need excellent care in the field … and a network of care so they come into a hospital where everybody knows their role," said Michael Mooney, a cardiologist and head of the "Cool It" initiative at Minneapolis Heart Institute. Dr. Mooney led the new study, which was published online Monday by the AHA journal Circulation.