J27 — July 2009 —Hypothermia for Stroke

Intro: Hypothermia can be deadly. Getting too cold from being in icy water or frigid temperatures can cause your body temperature to drop dangerously low.  But now, doctors at Mayo Clinic are using hypothermia to help save the lives of stroke patients.

IT STARTED OUT AS A TYPICAL DAY AT WORK FOR PHALLY TOR AND HER HUSBAND HEIN. BUT THINGS QUICKLY CHANGED WHEN PHALLY GOT WHAT SHE DESCRIBED AS THE WORST HEADACHE OF HER LIFE.

"SHE FELT LIKE SHE HAD NEEDLES IN EVERY PLACE. THEY KEEP POKING HER IN THE HEAD."

AN ANEURYSM RUPTURED IN PHALLY'S BRAIN. BLOOD SPILLED OUT INTO HER SKULL, CAUSING PRESSURE TO RISE.

"THE DOCTOR SAID SHE IS VERY CRITICAL, I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW, AND MY KID AND I WERE SO SCARED TO DEATH."

SCARED WITH GOOD REASON, AS MOST PEOPLE WITH BRAIN BLEEDS LIKE PHALLY'S DIE WITHIN 24 HOURS.

"I'VE NEVER SEEN A PERSON WITH THAT AMOUNT OF GLOBAL SWELLING WHO HAD SURVIVED."

DR. DAVID FREEMAN KNEW THAT THE ONLY WAY TO GIVE PHALLY A CHANCE AT SURVIVAL WOULD BE AN OPERATION TO STOP THE BLEEDING AND BY PUTTING HER INTO AN INDUCED STATE OF HYPOTHERMIA TO SLOW THE SWELLING AND PRESSURE IN HER BRAIN. WITH AN INFUSION OF COLD SALINE AND EXTERNAL COOLING PADS, DR. FREEMAN AND HIS TEAM DECREASED HER BODY TEMPERATURE TO 32-DEGREES CELSIUS. THEY KEPT PHALLY THAT WAY, CLOSELY MONITORED, FOR TWO WEEKS. YOU SEE, HYPOTHERMIA PROTECTS THE BRAIN IN TWO MAIN WAYS. IT DECREASES INFLAMMATION IN THE BRAIN. IT ALSO SLOWS YOUR METABOLISM SO YOUR BODY DOESN'T NEED AS MUCH OXYGEN-RICH BLOOD FLOWING TO THE BRAIN, ALLOWING IT TIME TO REST AND RECOVER.

"WE WERE ABLE TO REDUCE THE PRESSURE IN HER BRAIN, AND SHE WAS ABLE TO LIVE."

"SHE TOLD ME SHE FEELS SHE'S VERY LUCKY. SHE'S VERY FORTUNATE THAT SHE'S ALIVE WITH HER HUSBAND AND HER KIDS."

AFTER NEAR DEATH, IT'S BUSINESS AS USUAL FOR PHALLY. THE ONLY REMINDERS ARE OCCASIONAL SHORT-TERM MEMORY LOSS AND…

"SOMETIMES I'M COLD. I'M A LITTLE BIT COLD."

FOR MEDICAL EDGE, I'M VIVIEN WILLIAMS.

Anchor tag: Dr. Freemans says there's no data to suggest that people who've had induced hypothermia actually do get chilled easily. But Phally, who really did beat the odds and survive, likes to tease about it.

Dr. Freeman says the key to surviving any type of brain injury such as an aneurysm or stroke is to get emergency care immediately.

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