Through the Looking Glass: The Paradoxical Evolution of Targeted Temperature Management for Comatose Survivors of Cardiac Arrest

• Published in: Neurotherapeutics Vol. 19; no. 6; pp. 1869 - 1877
• Main Authors: D’Amato, Salvatore A., Kimberly, W. Taylor, Mayer, Stephan A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01.10.2022; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Cardiac arrest; Clinical medicine; Clinical trials; Coma; Coma - etiology; Coma - therapy; Critical Care; Current Perspectives; Current s; Heart; Heart Arrest - complications; Heart Arrest - therapy; Human subjects; Humans; Hypothermia; Hypothermia, Induced; Mortality; Neurobiology; Neurology; Neurosciences; Neurosurgery; Survivors; Neuroprotection; Cardiac arrest; Targeted temperature management; Hypothermia
• ISSN: 1933-7213; 1878-7479; 1878-7479
• DOI: 10.1007/s13311-022-01315-7

For the past two decades, targeted temperature management (TTM) has been a staple in the care of comatose survivors following cardiac arrest. However, recent clinical trials have failed to replicate the benefit seen in earlier studies, bringing into question the very existence of such clinical practice. In this review, we explore clinical scenarios within critical care that appeared to share a similar fate, but in actuality changed the landscape of practice in a modern world. Accordingly, clinicians may apply these lessons to the utilization of TTM among comatose survivors following cardiac arrest, potentially paving way for a re-framing of clinical care amidst an environment where current data appears upside down in comparison to past successes.