Case report

Successful resuscitation of an elderly man with deep accidental hypothermia using portable extracorporeal circulation in the emergency department: a case report

Simone S Cooper¹ , Thomas J Papadimos¹ , Jeffery A Campbell² , Gregory J Cerilli³ , Shuab Omer³ , Anthony L Braida¹ and Ali M Hassan¹

¹Department of Anesthesiology, University of Toledo, College of Medicine, Toledo, OH 43614, USA

²Department of Perfusion, University of Toledo Medical Center, Toledo, OH 43614, USA

³Department of Surgery, University of Toledo, College of Medicine, Toledo, OH 43614, USA

author email corresponding author email

Journal of Medical Case Reports 2008, 2:150doi:10.1186/1752-1947-2-150

Published:	9 May 2008

Abstract

Introduction

Deep accidental hypothermia (body temperature below 28°C) is rare and has a high mortality rate. Successful resuscitation usually occurs in the young, but a prompt intervention using a portable extracorporeal cardiopulmonary circulation device can also provide a good outcome for older persons.

Case presentation

We report the successful resuscitation of an 82-year-old male from deep accidental hypothermia using portable extracorporeal circulation in the emergency department.

Conclusion

This successful resuscitation of an 82-year-old patient demonstrates that a prompt intervention by a medical team that trains together, using a mobile cardiopulmonary bypass device via a percutaneous approach, can potentially provide good outcomes for all victims of deep accidental hypothermia, both in the operating suites and the emergency department.