How Long Should Cooling Therapy Last After Cardiac Arrest?…

How Long Should Cooling Therapy Last After Cardiac Arrest? A Major Trial Finally Answers Therapeutic hypothermia, deliberately cooling a patient's body temperature after cardiac arrest, has become a standard neuroprotective treatment in intensive care. But despite widespread use, one fundamental question has remained genuinely unresolved, how long should the cooling actually last to give patients the best chance at neurological recovery. A major new trial published in JAMA finally provides a clear answer. Why this question matters so much: Clinical trials on therapeutic hypothermia have historically produced inconsistent results regarding neurological outcomes, and the ideal cooling duration has never been properly established through rigorous testing. In practice, doctors have used varying durations, often based on institutional habit rather than strong evidence. The trial: The ICECAP trial, conducted across 71 hospitals in the United States, enrolled 1,158 adult patients who remained unconscious after out of hospital cardiac arrest and achieved therapeutic cooling below 34°C within 4 hours of arrest.