For Dr. Sarah Perman, it is not enough for a cardiac arrest patient’s heart to work properly again. “What we care about is not just survival to when they’re discharged from the hospital,” she said, “but neurologic recovery at discharge.”

While a medical resident, Perman once cared for an elderly cardiac arrest patient. The attending team felt that the patient would have a grave prognosis. Their quick conclusion surprised Perman, who “started to learn that there was some generalized hesitancy” in treating cardiac arrest patients who have chronic heart conditions or do not initially respond to a defibrillator. The patient’s relatives still wanted the doctors to try everything they could, so they started therapeutic hypothermia, which was a success. After cooling the patient’s body temperature and a period of rewarming, the patient was revived and could go home.

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