Use of Therapeutic Hypothermia in Cocaine-Induced Cardiac Arrest: Further Evidence

Therapeutic hypothermia is an important and successful treatment that has been endorsed only in specific clinical settings of cardiac arrest. Inclusion criteria thus far have not embraced drug-induced cardiac arrest, but clinical evidence has been mounting that therapeutic hypothermia may be beneficial in such cases. A 59-year-old man who experienced a cocaine-induced cardiac arrest had a full neurological recovery after use of therapeutic hypothermia. The relevant pathophysiology of cocaine-induced cardiac arrest is reviewed, the mechanism and history of therapeutic hypothermia are discussed, and the clinical evidence recommending the use of therapeutic hypothermia in cocaine-induced cardiac arrest is reinforced.