National news and medical journals shined the spotlight on cooling in spinal cord injury (SCI) when Buffalo Bills tight end Kevin Everett suffered the devastating effects from a head-on tackle in front of thousands of spectators in 2007. Within minutes, he was “iced” and transported to a medical center, where he underwent emergency surgery to repair damage to his cervical spine. With a potential paralysis prognosis, he was able to walk just 3 months after his injury. In 2011, another young athlete, a 20-year-old gymnast named Jorge Valdes, walked out of the hospital 7 days after receiving systemic cooling and surgery for a cervical spine injury. Although much media attention has been placed on these 2 captivating cases, where are we now and what does the research indicate for therapeutic hypothermia in patients with SCI?
Spinal cord injuries in the United States affect...
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