Hypothermia for SCI
John Erich
EMS Magazine, 201
Cooling does a number of things. First, it suppresses inflammation. Cooling also reduces production of oxygen free radicals and metabolic demand in the spinal cord itself. One case where cooling was used to save a life was on Kevin Everett, a tight end for the NFL’s Buffalo Bills. Everett sustained a life-threatening C3-C4 dislocation during a game in 2007. Doctors expected permanent neurologic impairment. But Everett was treated aggressively, receiving prompt cooling, IV steroids and rapid surgical decompression. After an injury following which fewer than a quarter of patients ever walk again, Everett was on his feet within three months.