Citation

Scantling D, Frank B, Pontell ME, Medinilla S. Wilderness Environ. Med. 2016; 27(3): 401-404.

Affiliation

Department of Surgery and Critical Care, Christiana Care Health System, Newark, DE.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.wem.2016.05.003

PMID

27451005

Abstract

Only limited clinical scenarios are grounds for induction of therapeutic hypothermia. Its use in traumatic cardiac arrests, including those from lightning strikes, is not well studied. Nonshockable cardiac arrest rhythms have only recently been included in resuscitation guidelines. We report a case of full neurological recovery with therapeutic hypothermia after a lightning-induced pulseless electrical activity cardiac arrest in an 18-year-old woman. We also review the important pathophysiology of lightning-induced cardiac arrest and neurologic sequelae, elaborate upon the mechanism of therapeutic hypothermia, and add case-based evidence in favor of the use of targeted temperature management in lightning-induced cardiac arrest.

Copyright © 2016 Wilderness Medical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Language: en