Citation

Sugita M, Okamoto K, Terasaki H. Acta Paediatr. Jpn. 1998; 40(1): 20-25.

Affiliation

Department of Anesthesiology, Kumamoto University School of Medicine, Japan.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1998, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

9583195

Abstract

Twenty children who were successfully resuscitated after cardiac arrest (CA) were retrospectively studied to examine the hypothesis that children with CA may have a worse neurological outcome in hot weather than in cold weather. Of 7 children with CA in the cold season (atmospheric temperature < 14 degrees C), 4 in the warm season (14-24 degrees C) and 9 in the hot season (> 24 degrees C), 5 (71%), 2 (50%), and 1 (11%), respectively, recovered consciousness (P < 0.05). Postresuscitative hyperthermia tended to be frequently observed in the group of children who suffered CA in the hot season, and it appeared to be associated with neurological damage. This preliminary study suggests that the neurological outcome of children with CA changes with the seasons, with a worse neurological outcome for CA in hot weather than in cold weather. A prospective study is required to determine whether, in a hot season or area, cooling of pediatric cardiac arrest victims during cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the scene improves the neurological outcome.

Language: en