Stay Cool During the Hot Summer Months

This issue of Therapeutic Hypothermia and Temperature Management contains two expert panel discussions as well as original articles and a new Arctic Challenge that should be of great interest to the readership of the Journal. In one expert panel discussion held during the 2018 Therapeutic Hypothermia and Temperature Management Meeting in Miami, several experts discussed their experiences on testing therapeutic hypothermia in unique clinical cases. This informative panel discussion was based on three lectures that provided new data on the use of therapeutic hypothermia in cardiogenic shock, heat stroke, and after multitrauma resulting in accidental hypothermia. In another expert panel discussion, experts also discussed current challenges regarding temperature management associated with nursing care. This series of presentations included topics on support services for family and caregivers that provide posthospital support, the management of temperature-induced side effects, and important questions regarding targeted temperature maintenance considerations. These presentations and the resulting round table discussions stimulated significant interactions among the attendees of this annual meeting.

In addition to these expert panel discussions, five original articles and one case report are included in this issue. A study by Dr. Jeong and colleagues provides new data on radiologic measurements of brain swelling in patients with hemispheric infarctions during targeted temperature management. In the article by Dr. Pastukhov and colleagues, new information was presented on the critical role of hypothermia in contributing to glutamate levels in synaptosomal nerve terminals and in the maintenance of glutamate concentrations during hypothermic conditions. Dr. Watson and colleagues raise the important question on whether it is feasible and safe to induce mild hypothermia in awake cardiac arrest patients. Dr. Bergan and colleagues next present findings on using a pig model on the role of beta 1-adrenergic receptor blockage on myocardial contraction and relaxation under hypothermic conditions. The impact of serum albumin concentrations on outcome in cardiac patients from the recently completed CRITICAL Study is presented by Dr. Matsuyama and colleagues. Dr. Oh and colleagues provide a case report of cerebral arterial gas embolism and the effects of hypothermia in a patient. Finally, another study by Dr. Jahns and colleagues reports survival data in a patient experiencing hyperpyrexia as an adverse consequence effect of MDMA intake.

In addition to these articles, a new Arctic Challenge is also presented. This contribution to the issue addresses a number of clinically relevant questions being asked on the general topic of targeted temperature management and therapeutic hypothermia. Experts provide thoughtful answers that are supported by the current literature pertaining to this subject matter. For this issue, one question pertains to how placing warm blankets on the surface of the patient stops shivering. Another question asks why decreased blood glucose levels are commonly observed during the rewarming phase after targeted temperature management in postcardiac arrest patients. Another clinically relevant question has to do with the use of iced saline during induction of targeted temperature management whether this particular procedure is still used in other institutions to initiate the cooling strategy. These and other topics discussed in the current Arctic Challenge section provide valuable information for individuals actively using targeted temperature management and therapeutic hypothermia in their patient populations. We continue to appreciate the readership of the Journal and hope these publications provide helpful information regarding therapeutic hypothermia and temperature management in both experimental and clinical settings. We greatly appreciate the authors submitting quality articles to the Journal as well as the editorial board and other reviewers for providing timely reviews for the submitted articles. Please continue to consider Therapeutic Hypothermia and Temperature Management for the publication of your latest findings in this emerging and most exciting field of research and clinical care.