This week, paramedics in New York City began treating cardiac arrest patients with hypothermia therapy.
ALS ambulances in the city have been outfitted with refrigeration equipment, which holds the chilled intravenous fluids that will be administered to patients in cardiac arrest.
The FDNY expects to administer hypothermia therapy to more than 6,000 patients in the next year.
"We've seen many cardiac arrest therapies that save lives. But this doesn't just save lives; it sends people back to their lives." Dr. Scott Weingart from the Division of Emergency Critical Care at Elmhurst Hospital Center said during a press conference.
The initiative is part of the city's "Project Hypothermia." The first phase was launched at the beginning of last year when it was administered to patients at hospitals.
In the span of 18 months, more than 2,600 cardiac arrest patients were transported to hospitals with hypothermia therapy.
There was a dramatic increase in the number of patients who survived and went home with no permanent neurological or physical impairment, according to a press release.
