Advanced Body-Cooling Technique Helps Patient Survive Heart Attack

Pre-Hospital Therapeutic Hypothermia Protocol Starts Life-Saving Treatment Even Before Ambulances Reach Jefferson Regional Medical Center

Jefferson Hills, PA - August 04, 2011

Olga Bernardi, 70, of Jefferson Hills visited Jefferson Regional Medical Center this week with her son, Donald, to thank the emergency medical team and members of Jefferson Hills Area Ambulance Association (JHAAA) who responded when she suffered cardiac arrest at her home on June 19.

Mrs. Bernardi beat the odds and survived a heart attack, thanks to a team effort and an advanced protocol adopted by Jefferson Regional with ambulance services that transport patients to and take command from the Jefferson Hills hospital. The protocol directs paramedics to administer therapeutic hypothermia treatment to a patient that meets the criteria for the life-saving technique even before the ambulance reaches the hospital.

Mrs. Bernardi said she called 911 when she started experiencing chest pain. Paramedics and EMTs who responded to the call found her unresponsive upon arrival. They immediately initiated CPR and followed Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) protocol.

According to Richard Sullivan, MD, EMS medical director and associate director, Department of Emergency Medicine at Jefferson Regional, quick action by the first responders and the hospital’s Emergency team to implement the therapeutic hypothermia protocol en route to the hospital resulted in a positive outcome for Mrs. Bernardi.

Jefferson Regional Medical Center has utilized therapeutic hypothermia in the hospital Emergency Department for more than a year, but the pre-hospital treatment by paramedics in the field is a relatively new advancement. The ambulance crew begins by administering a cold saline IV before they reach the hospital, where the Emergency Department and ICU staffs continue the cooling treatment for 24 hours and then slowly raise the body temperature back to normal.

Patients who experience cardiac arrest and become unresponsive are prime candidates for therapeutic hypothermia, according to Dr. Sullivan. It involves lowering the body temperature through intravenous cold saline to lessen the chance of neurological complications that occur following cardiac arrest. The treatment dramatically increases the patient’s chances of surviving a heart attack and having a good neurological recovery by cooling the entire body and slowing the heart rate, decreasing toxins and reducing swelling in the brain, he said.

Jefferson Regional provides the ambulance companies that take command from Jefferson Regional with chill core cases to store the saline in the ambulance to keep it at a constant cold temperature.

Douglas Pascoe, PHRN, chief of Jefferson Hills Area Ambulance Association, said, “Although we do our best every day, the outcome of certain calls is not favorable. In this case, the aggressive treatments, proficiency training and exceptional teamwork paid off. Because of the efforts of all involved, a son did not lose his mother and a family will continue to enjoy both new and old memories of their loved ones.”

In the photo: Members of Jefferson Regional Medical Center emergency team and Jefferson Hills Area Ambulance Association who worked together to provide life-saving pre-hospital therapeutic hypothermia treatment to Olga Bernardi, center, include: front row, from left: Bob Zirkle, paramedic; Glenn Pratt, paramedic; David Phillips, paramedic; (back row) Joe Gubash, EMT; Richard Sullivan, MD, EMS medical director and associate director, Department of Emergency Medicine, Jefferson Regional Medical Center; Jason David, EMT, and Delmar Olson, EMS manager, Jefferson Regional Medical Center. Jefferson Hills Borough Council will honor the ambulance personnel at its meeting on Monday, Aug. 8, in the Jefferson Hills Borough Building.