The Korean Journal of Critical Care Medicine  2009;24(1):1-3

doi:10.4266/kjccm.2009.24.1.1

Management of Brain Injury after Post-cardiac Arrest Syndrome.

Jong Ho CHOI 1

Affiliations

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Keywords

brain injury; hypothermia; post-cardiac arrest syndrome

Country

Republic of Korea

Language

Korean

Abstract

In spite of improvement in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) techniques, post-CPR mortality and brain injury rates have not changed significantly. The post-cardiac arrest syndrome has been suggested to be the major reason for the high mortality rate after CPR. Post-cardiac arrest syndrome, including brain injury, myocardial dysfunction, and septic shock-like syndrome after CPR, result in complicated multiple organ failure. Physicians who work in the ICU should have a good understanding of thepathophysiology of post-cardiac arrest syndrome. Recently, therapeutic hypothermia treatment for protection of brain injuries has been applied as a therapeutic regimen in spite of various side effects during the hypothermic procedure. Finally, therapeutic hypothermic treatment to reduce brain injury in post-cardiac arrest syndrome patients is strongly recommended to physiciansmanaging CPR. I would like to briefly review the therapeutic hypothermic procedure for the management of post-cardiac arrest syndrome.