New technique may save stroke, cardiac arrest patients

With reports of people getting sick in the country due to dangerous heat index levels brought by the El Nino phenomenon, a renowned doctor from the United States suggested an inexpensive technique to treat people suffering from severe illnesses.

- EMMANUEL TUPAS

Dr. Joseph Varon, who was in the Philippines last week for a series of lectures, said the technique, therapeutic hypothermia, has been proven to be an effective method in saving patients who have suffered stroke and cardiac arrest.

Varon said the technique, which was once applied by physicians in the Philippines, is effective in reducing the swelling in a person’s brain due to oxygen deprivation after suffering from a stroke or heart attack.

“In order to avoid brain injury, one of the things that we do is to cool down patients,” he explained.

To do this, they normally drop a patient’s temperature to as low as 32 degrees Celsius for a period of 24 to 72 hours depending on the severity of the brain swelling.