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Tracy Hampton, PhD

JAMA. 2007;298(17):1994-1995.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

For decades, medical recovery stories of individuals who fell into icy waters or were buried under avalanches have left researchers intrigued by the beneficial effects of hypothermia. In some cases, people have survived in a comatose state without oxygen for lengthy periods of time without serious health effects.

Now, animal studies are revealing the potential of therapeutic hypothermia for treating myocardial infarction or brain injury, and researchers are developing elaborate, innovative cooling strategies.

Reseachers are working to improve current methods of cooling patients during emergency situations such as heart and brain injury. (Photo credit: Lance Becker/University of Pennsylvania)

SLURRY STUDIES

While oxygen deprivation resulting from cardiac arrest leads to tissue injury, even more damage can occur after a medical intervention has succeeded in restoring circulation. Laboratory studies by Lance Becker, MD, professor of emergency medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, in Philadelphia, and colleagues have found . . . [Full Text of this Article]