Drs. Teran and Abella discuss the role of TTM for patients following cardiac arrest caused by opioid overdose. Several recent observational studies are reviewed to understand the demographics of patients who suffer opioid-related cardiac arrest, their outcomes, and whether TTM may be beneficial during post-arrest for these patients.

Key readings:

1. Salcido DD et al, “Regional incidence and outcome of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest associated with overdose.” Resuscitation 2016; 99:13-19.http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.resuscitation.2015.11.010
2. Katz AZ et al, “Outcomes of patients resuscitated from cardiac arrest in the setting of drug overdose.” Resuscitation 2015; 94:23-27.http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.resuscitation.2015.06.015
3. Khan S et al, “Impact of Targeted Temperature Management on ED Patients with Drug Overdose–Related Cardiac Arrest.”, Journal of Medical Toxicology 2019; 15:22–29. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13181-018-0686-0