On January 3 this year, Bernie Phillips suffered a cardiac arrest. Tragic but not unusual. Emergency responders established an airway, got his heart beating again and rushed him to Albany Medical Center Hospital.

A short while later, when medics reduced the temperature of his body to a near hypothermic state in an attempt to prevent or reduce brain damage, Phillips' case became a little less unusual.

Dr. Gary Bernardini, professor and director of stroke and neuro-critical care at Albany Medical Center, said much of the brain damage that occurs after a stroke or heart attack is not the result of the injury or condition itself, but happens when a patient is resuscitated. Oxygen-rich blood flows back into the cells, setting off a series of chemical reactions.

These chemical reactions cause the production of free radicals and release of other substances, which cause swelling and inflammation in the brain and reduce oxygen delivery to brain cells, leading to cell death.

Cooling the body to very low temperatures arrests the production of free radicals, slows the injurious process and allows the brain to recover. When the body's temperature is reduced, vessels constrict and cell metabolism is reduced. Since the body requires less oxygen, the harmful chemical activity is reduced. Most patients are cooled for 24 hours before the re-warming starts.

Studies have shown that with careful monitoring, therapeutic cooling can significantly reduce the amount of neurological damage that can result from traumatic conditions such as cardiac arrest, stroke and brain injury.

And as for Phillips - he awoke three days after admission. He remembers nothing at all of the experience that nearly ended his life. In fact, he said, "I don't remember anything from Saturday through Tuesday. I feel OK now. I'm thinking of buying some lottery tickets because I've beaten some pretty long odds."

Schenectady Daily Gazette