ACEP Therapeutic Hypothermia CME

From the American College of Emergency Physicians:

Learning Objectives After reading this article, the physician should be able to: Describe therapeutic hypothermia, its purpose, and its goals. Describe methods ofinitiating and maintaining hypothermia. List several possible future uses oftherapeutic hypothermia.

Survival rates from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest are poor. The number of survivors who make a meaningful neurologic recovery is similarly dismal. There have been numerous studies to evaluate neuroprotective agents for comatose survivors of cardiac arrest, which have shown little promise. Recently, much attention has been directed toward the use of mild therapeutic hypothermia in comatose survivors of cardiac arrest.

Comprehensive Therapeutic Hypothermia Resource

From the University of Pennsylvania Center for Resuscitation Science:

These pages are intended for use by physicians, nurses and other health care professionals who are interested in the care of patients after they are resuscitated from cardiac arrest. While Advanced Cardiopulmonary Life Support (ACLS) guidelines provide consensus information on the recognition and treatment of cardiac arrest in the form of “links” in the “chain of survival”, the care of patients after resuscitation remains a “missing link”. It is hoped that these pages will contribute towards filling this void.

At the present time, the most important specific treatment for a patient surviving cardiac arrest may be the induction of therapeutic hypothermia. A number of animal and clinical studies have supported the use of this treatment, and international guidelines have been published regarding the use of this exciting new modality.

The majority of content on these resource pages focus on therapeutic hypothermia and practical issues of how hospitals can develop protocols for use.

Man Shoots Self in Hospital Emergency Room

From The Police News:

Deputies of the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office responded to the Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital in Sugar Land to a Shooting that just occurred in the Emergency Room.

According to the report, when Fort Bend Deputies arrived the Hospital Security Guard handed over a small single shot hand gun, the weapon James Derek Adair, 46, of Richmond, apparently used to shoot himself.

Adair is reported to have brought food to his family while they were waiting for his wife to be discharged from the hospital. Shortly thereafter, hospital personnel heard a gunshot in room. When they entered the room Adair was found lying on the floor suffering of a gunshot wound to his head.

Adair was treated for his injuries and taken to Ben Taub Hospital later last night where he is currently on life-support.

New ED for Animals

From Bizjournals:

Dr. Marla Lichtenberger, a board certified emergency and critical care specialist in veterinary medicine, will open a new 24-hour emergency medical care clinic for animals in Greenfield June 1.

Milwaukee Emergency Center for Animals will open at 3670 S. 108th St. and will be equipped to accept critical care cases and surgeries, seven days per week, 24-hours per day.

The 10,000-square-foot facility will employ approximately 24 employees, including six veterinarians. MECA treats dogs, cats, small mammals (rabbits, guinea pigs), rodents, reptiles and birds.

The clinic’s owner, Lichtenberger, is considered a pioneer in fluid therapy in small animals and exotic pets. Fluid therapy is a method of replenishing lost bodily fluids in animals that greatly enhances survival rates for animals that become ill and stop eating.

Pickup Crashes Into ED in ND

From Google News / AP:

Police in North Dakota say a naked motorist has been charged with driving under the influence after crashing a pickup into a hospital emergency room. No one was hurt.

Sgt. Dwight Offerman said 47-year-old Nicholas Krush drove into the admitting area of Bismarck’s St. Alexius Hospital emergency room early Wednesday.

Offerman says Krush may have overdosed on a prescription drug. He says police were told before the crash to look for a pickup driven by a man who overdosed and was heading to Bismarck for treatment.

… and from KFYR:

Damage is estimated at more than $100,000 at St. Alexius hospital after a pickup crashed into the emergency room`s admitting area yesterday.

Police say the driver is facing a charge of driving under the influence of an intoxicating substance. They say 47-year-old Nicholas Krush may have overdosed on a prescription drug. He`s due in municipal court May 18th.

Hospital worker Julie Arnegard had just arrived for work and was making coffee when the pickup came within inches of her about 5:30 a.m. She says she thought at first that she`d blown up the microwave, then realized how close the pickup was.