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Essay on Outline of a Research Aticle

Satisfactory Essays

Small Group Discussion 3.2: Outline of a Research Article
The Use of Hypothermia as a Treatment for Traumatic Brain Injury

1. Introduction and core story elements
a. What is the overview of the purpose of the study and the problem discussed?
i. Research has shown that hypothermia has neuroprotective effects and might be an effective source of treatment for patients with head injuries. When discussing the treatment of patients with traumatic brain injuries, hypothermia is a controversial issue. The purpose of this study was to compare existing research on the use of hypothermia with TBI patients to determine if it is an adequate form of treatment.
b. Is the problem clearly stated? . Yes. Hypothermia has been shown to have …show more content…

i. All studies found that ICP was decreased and CPP increased with the hypothermia groups. ii. Hypothermia is not a widely used treatment due to risk for complications associated with hypothermia such as pneumonia, seizures and infection. iii. Re-warming of the patient should be performed cautiously
b. Was the literature relevant? . The literature is outdated; publishing dates ranged from 1997 to 2006. This article was published in 2009; only one of the articles used for research was within five years, all others were older. The literature would be more relevant if it was more recent. The literature that was used although it may have been outdated, did support the problem researched; using hypothermia as a means of treatment for a traumatic brain injury.
c. What exactly did the literature state to support the problem statement and question? . Across all of the studies, hypothermia is effective in that ICP was decreased and CPP increased.
i. Research from multiple meta-analyses found that hypothermia can be effective. The specific studies reviewed by Clifton (2001) and Marion (1997) resulted in conflicting findings. ii. Clifton (2001) and Shiozaki (2001) stopped their studies before completion due to high rate infection and lack of benefit from hypothermia. It was found to be detrimental to the patients. iii. Marion (1997), Jiang (2006), and Polderman (2002) make strong recommendations for hypothermia.

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