More hospitals offering therapeutic hypothermia for comatose survivors of cardiac arrest

Moral of the story: Hospitals are finally starting to get on the band wagon for offering hypothermic treatment after a heart attack

Source: AMA Morning Rounds 3/29/2010

More hospitals offering therapeutic hypothermia for comatose survivors of cardiac arrest.

USA Today (3/29, Marcus) reports that since the "American Heart Association issued recommendations and guidelines for inducing mild hypothermia in comatose survivors of cardiac arrest" in 2005, the "number of hospitals offering the treatment has climbed." Nearly "500 of about 5,000 hospitals across the country are doing it," and one expert calls therapeutic hypothermia "one of the most exciting and promising interventions for the treatment of cardiac arrest over the past 50 years." Still, "most proponents of cooling say they're surprised that the therapy hasn't caught on faster."