Targeted temperature management after cardiac arrest primarily aims to protect neurological function. Which of the following best describes this purpose?

• A. Preserve neurologic function and reduce brain injury
• B. Increase metabolic rate
• C. Dilate peripheral vessels
• D. Increase intracranial pressure

Answer: (A)

Targeted temperature management protects the brain after cardiac arrest by lowering the brain’s metabolic demand and dampening the cascade of secondary injury that follows reperfusion. Cooling reduces cerebral oxygen needs, limits excitotoxicity, inflammation, and edema, and helps stabilize neuronal membranes, all of which preserves neurologic function and improves outcomes. The other ideas don’t capture that protective purpose: increasing metabolic rate would worsen brain injury, peripheral vessel dilation isn’t the primary goal of this therapy, and increasing intracranial pressure is harmful rather than beneficial.