“Is Austin Cool or What?”
On February 13, 2008, Take Heart Austin hosted a one-day Clinical Symposium on the topic of Post ROSC Therapeutic Hypothermia. Representatives from every hospital in Austin as well as representatives from each Williamson County hospital and Austin/Travis County EMS attended this interactive educational event. The objective of the symposium was to provide current clinical information on therapeutic hypothermia in preparation for implemention of post ROSC cooling by EMS providers. Another key objective of the symposium was the establishment of a process for hospital designations as Resuscitation Centers of Excellence within the City of Austin / Travis County EMS System.
The Symposium was a great success. Today, several currently designated EMS receiving hospitals in Austin and in Williamson County are preparing to seek designation as a Resuscitation Center of Excellence which includes the commitment to continue therapeutic hypothermia initiated by the EMS System. For more information on our Resuscitation Centers of Excellence, please see the related article. Additional information about the Symposium may also be found at the Office fo the Medical Director website, http://atcomd.org/PostResusHypo.htm.
Take Heart Austin would like to acknowledge the generous Symposium sponsorship of: Take Heart America, Alsius Corporation, Innercool Therapies, Medivance Inc., St. David’s Heart and Vascular Centers and Seton Heart Specialty Care & Transplant Center.