Ashtabula County Medical Center | ACMC Pulse | Winter 2019

ACMC Pulse  • acmchealth.org 9 NEW TECHNOLOGY‌ in Ashtabula County Medical Center’s (ACMC) intensive care unit has the potential to save lives by lowering a patient’s core body temperature. The noninvasive Arctic Sun device can limit neurologic damage caused when the brain is starved for oxygen, such as during a cardiac arrest. “There’s a popular saying in healthcare—time is brain function,” said ACMC Pulmonologist and ICU Medical Director Sanjay Srivastava, MD. “Arctic Sun cools a person’s body slowly to induce therapeutic hypothermia to help reduce damage to a brain that has been deprived of oxygen.” Prior to the Arctic Sun technology, a patient’s body temperature could only be controlled by using saline pumped into catheters inserted into a person’s veins. That process, which requires specialized training and surgical space, increased health risks because the patient is cooled internally. The Arctic Sun device circulates water at a high velocity, via computer control that adjusts the water flow, through gel pads as the patient’s body temperature changes. The use of Arctic Sun will vary with each patient’s needs, but it usually involves cooling a patient’s core body temperature to 91.4 degrees within two or three hours. Once the decision is made to rewarm the patient, their temperature is slowly returned to 98.6 degrees. Backed by the American Heart Association An added benefit of the new technology is the ability to help a patient maintain a constant temperature during recovery. Patients who experience loss of blood flow to the brain often have wild fluctuations of body temperatures. This leads to swelling of the brain and potential bleeding on the brain. Arctic Sun reduces that risk by adjusting the cooling or warming so the patient maintains a steady body temperature. Dr. Srivastava said a physician and nursing team from ACMC worked with Cleveland Clinic to develop the protocols for how and when to use Arctic Sun. Training was completed in September. The American Heart Association recommends the use of therapeutic hypothermia devices as a best practice for managing brain trauma during cardiac arrest. “By bringing the Arctic Sun technology to ACMC, we’re bringing a higher level of care to our patients and our community,” said ACMC Healthcare System President and CEO Michael Habowski. Arctic Sun dawns on ACMC By bringing the Arctic Sun technology to ACMC, we’re bringing a higher level of care to our patients and our community. —Michael Habowski ACMC Healthcare System President and CEO New, brain-saving technology controls body temperature safely Technology