Cooling Brain Treatment
Kathy Whitledge was on her way to teach a Sunday School class when she crossed the street on a crosswalk. She didn't see the car coming at her. It hit and threw her.
Doctors rushed Kathy to the ER. She had severe head injuries. She was thrown 360 feet over the car and landed on her head, resulting in a skull fracture. Her brain had a midline shift all the way to one side.
But six months later, Kathy is back to work at the same ICU unit she recovered in. "I feel like it was a little miracle, and that's what everybody tells me", says Kathy.
Doctor Michael Diringer says trauma patients like Kathy often develop fevers. "We really see that their overall ability to function takes a hit when their temperature goes up." In fact, every one degree increase in temperature causes the brain to work about 10% harder.
Doctors used to use drugs like aspirin or even ice packs to keep patients cool, but now there's a better option. The Cool Gard device delivers chilled saline through a catheter. The saline cools the blood in the body. As blood travels to the brain, the temperature drops. "We can actually dial in what we want the patient's temperature to be and then maintain it at that steady state. Kathy had the cooling device and today has no permanent brain damage. And now she can focus on spending time with loved ones."
Jennifer Mathews reporting.
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