A Seoul National University Hospital (SNUH) study has confirmed that targeted temperature management (TTM), a critical intervention to prevent secondary brain damage after cardiac arrest, can be safely and effectively implemented during patient transport in ambulances.

Initiating this treatment promptly during transport may improve outcomes for cardiac arrest patients.

Cardiac arrest affects approximately 30,000 people annually in Korea, with less than 10 percent surviving to discharge. Even when heart function is restored through resuscitation, secondary brain damage poses a significant risk. TTM, which involves cooling the body to slow brain cell metabolism, is recommended to mitigate this damage and should be administered as early as possible.

Despite its benefits, the feasibility and safety of administering TTM during ambulance transport have not been fully evaluated. Limited monitoring and treatment capabilities in ambulances often make managing patients' conditions during transport challenging.

Since its launch in 2016, the Seoul Mobile Intensive Care Unit (SMICU) has developed specialized transport protocols and a critical care transport team capable of providing TTM during patient transfers.

The research, led by Professors Ro Young-sun and Kim Ki-hong from the Department of Emergency Medicine at SNUH, analyzed the feasibility and safety of TTM for cardiac arrest patients transported by the SMICU.

The research team analyzed data from 129 cardiac arrest patients transported by the SMICU between January 2016 and April 2023, dividing them into a TTM group (43 patients) and a control group (86 patients).

The analysis showed that the TTM group was 12.9 times more likely to achieve significant temperature reduction compared to the control group, demonstrating its feasibility. There was also no significant difference in major side effects, such as hypotension and hypoxemia, between the two groups, confirming the safety of TTM during transport.

The study highlights that implementing TTM promptly during inter-hospital transport can safely improve patients' neurological outcomes.

“Our findings confirm that TTM can be safely applied to cardiac arrest patients during transport, with specialized critical care teams playing a pivotal role,” Ro said. “The operation of such teams can improve patient outcomes and contribute to enhancing public healthcare standards.”

The study was published in a recent issue of Prehospital Emergency Care.