Hypothermia News and Research

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When exposed to cold temperatures, your body begins to lose heat faster than it can be produced. Prolonged exposure to cold will eventually use up your body’s stored energy. The result is hypothermia, or abnormally low body temperature. Body temperature that is too low affects the brain, making the victim unable to think clearly or move well. This makes hypothermia particularly dangerous because a person may not know it is happening and won’t be able to do anything about it.

Hypothermia is most likely at very cold temperatures, but it can occur even at cool temperatures (above 40°F) if a person becomes chilled from rain, sweat, or submersion in cold water.

Rapid cooling procedures prior to catheterization reduce extent of myocardial infarction

After an acute myocardial infarction, patients treated with rapid lowering of body temperature by combined cold saline infusion and endovascular cooling had less heart muscle damage and reduced incidence of heart failure. Therapeutic hypothermia was especially protective against heart muscle damage in patients with a large area of myocardium at risk according to an analysis of two clinical trials published in Therapeutic Hypothermia and Temperature Management, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

10 Jun 2015

Brain protein key to binge drinking? An interview with Dr. Candice Contet

Alcohol binge drinking is mostly driven by positive reinforcement, a process in which a rewarding experience (e.g., the euphoria one feels when intoxicated) strengthens the behaviour leading to this experience (e.g., going to a bar).

9 Jun 2015

Simple blood test can predict evidence of TBI on radiographic imaging, injury severity

New study results show that a simple blood test to measure brain-specific proteins released after a person suffers a traumatic brain injury (TBI) can reliably predict both evidence of TBI on radiographic imaging and injury severity.

19 May 2015

Study provides insight into the brain structures affected by epilepsy

Epilepsy, a disorder characterized by abnormal neuronal activity in certain regions of the brain, leads to organizational changes that can alter brain efficiency at the level of the whole brain. This occurs across functional networks that connect different brain regions and within individual brain regions, as described in an article in Brain Connectivity, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

30 Apr 2015

Study: Therapeutic hypothermia offers little neurological benefit to children with cardiac arrest

A new, randomized clinical study co-authored by Cohen Children's Medical Center's chair of pediatrics says there is little neurological benefit to using therapeutic hypothermia to lower a child's core temperature after an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

27 Apr 2015

Emergency body cooling, therapeutic hypothermia yield similar outcomes for children with cardiac arrest

A large-scale, multicenter study has shown that emergency body cooling does not improve survival rates or reduce brain injury in infants and children with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest more than normal temperature control.

27 Apr 2015

Study demonstrates that activation of cannabinoid CB2 receptors suppresses chronic pain

Medical marijuana is proliferating across the country due to the ability of cannabis ingestion to treat important clinical problems such as chronic pain. However, negative side effects and the development of tolerance limit the widespread therapeutic use of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), the major psychoactive ingredient in cannabis.

4 Mar 2015

Righttime Medical Care outlines common health concerns linked to cold temperatures

Righttime Medical Care, a leading urgent care provider, has been seeing an increase in injuries related to the record-breaking East coast cold weather and offers advice on keeping safe.

23 Feb 2015

UBMD physician discusses the dangers of hypothermia

The arctic cold snap affecting the Midwest and the Northeast this weekend should not be taken lightly, says David Holmes, MD, clinical associate professor of family medicine in the University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

17 Feb 2015

Loyola doctor offers tips to stay healthy during shoveling season

Mother Nature scored a touchdown this Super Bowl Sunday, dumping more than a foot of wet, heavy snow on the Chicago area and causing many to take to the streets and alleys to clear thoroughfares.

9 Feb 2015

UM SOM launches ‘Program in Lung Healing’ to develop treatments for acute respiratory failure

University of Maryland School of Medicine (UM SOM) Dean E. Albert Reece, MD, PhD, MBA, and Jeffrey A. Rivest, MS, President and Chief Executive Officer of University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC), today announced the official launch of a new "Program in Lung Healing," that will further the School's position as a national leader in research, education and clinical innovation for acute ailments of the lung and respiratory system.

9 Feb 2015

Despite forced-air warming, hypothermia affects patients undergoing surgery

Body temperature decreases during the first hour of surgery, even when patients are actively warmed with forced air, reports a new study published in the February issue of Anesthesiology, the official medical journal of the American Society of Anesthesiologists.

21 Jan 2015

Deeper cooling does not reduce NICU death among newborns with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy

Among full-term newborns with moderate or severe hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (damage to cells in the central nervous system from inadequate oxygen), receiving deeper or longer duration cooling did not reduce risk of neonatal intensive care unit death, compared to usual care, according to a study in the December 24/31 issue of JAMA.

24 Dec 2014

Sugar-based molecular microcapsule eliminates toxicity of anticancer agent

Johns Hopkins researchers have developed a sugar-based molecular microcapsule that eliminates the toxicity of an anticancer agent developed a decade ago at Johns Hopkins, called 3-bromopyruvate, or 3BrPA, in studies of mice with implants of human pancreatic cancer tissue. The encapsulated drug packed a potent anticancer punch, stopping the progression of tumors in the mice, but without the usual toxic effects.

18 Dec 2014

New study compares usefulness of two biomarkers released into the blood after TBI

In cases of traumatic brain injury (TBI), predicting the likelihood of a cranial lesion and determining the need for head computed tomography (CT) can be aided by measuring markers of bone injury in the blood.

14 Dec 2014

Cold 'sensor' hold key to new therapeutic target for treatment of frostbite and hypothermia

A cold 'sensor' which triggers the skin's vascular response to the cold could represent an exciting new therapeutic target for the treatment of frostbite and hypothermia, according to scientists at King's College London.

12 Dec 2014

Kessler Institute provides tips to help reduce risk of injury during winter months

Winter appears to have arrived early, bringing with it record snowfalls and cold temperatures across the country. It also brings an increased risk for injuries. Whether shoveling snow, dealing with icy roads, or simply trying to walk on wet, slippery pavement, caution is the key word.

29 Nov 2014

ECMO improves survival, neurological outcomes in patients suffering from cardiac arrest

A new study shows that survival and neurological outcomes for patients in cardiac arrest can be improved by adding extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) when performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

21 Oct 2014

New version of Belmont Rapid Infuser to be introduced at ASA 2014

Belmont Instrument Corporation, the widely recognized provider of blood and fluid infusers, will be introducing the new version of The Belmont Rapid Infuser, the RI-2 at the American Society of Anesthesiologists Meeting this week in New Orleans, LA.

8 Oct 2014

New partners join Grand Challenges Canada to help protect early brain development

Grand Challenges Canada, funded by the Government of Canada, today welcomed three new partners to the Saving Brains Grand Challenge: Aga Khan Foundation Canada, Norlien Foundation and World Vision Canada. These organizations strengthen the existing partnership with the Bernard van Leer Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Maria Cecilia Souto Vidigal Foundation.