Article Critique - Research Paper Example

The article clearly discusses the results of recent experiences with the use of therapeutic hypothermia after cardiac arrest in a patient. The layout of the article itself flows well and offers a clear and distinct linear progression. The four doctors who participated in the research, Sagalyn, Band, Gaieski, and Abella are from the Department of Emergency Medicine and Center for Resuscitation Science at the University of Pennsylvania. Their departmental positions indicate a high degree of knowledge in this field, and make them uniquely qualified to write this particular article; with qualifications such as these it would be easy to believe that they have the necessary skills to make this type of analysis on the subject.

The abstract offers a clear overview of the study itself, detailing what their objectives were, the setting in which their review took place, the subjects used as a part of the study, the measurements that were taken, and the main results of the outcome of the analysis itself. Each specific section offers a concise summary for that heading, and, again, flows well and in a linear fashion. The phenomenon of using therapeutic hypothermia after a patient experiences cardiac arrest is clearly identified and the question addressed by the paper is thoroughly discussed, complete with ample research into the matter.

The question presented was whether or not therapeutic hypothermia was beneficial after a patient experiences cardiac arrest, with the results showing “increased survivial with an odds ratio of 2.5 and favorable outcome with 2.5” (Sagalyn, Band, Gaieski & Abella, 2009). The specific purpose of the article is easy to identify, determining whether or not therapeutic, clinically induced hypothermia is beneficial to the patient after they have experienced a heart attack, and the conclusion of this research is likewise concisely stated; “the survival and neurological outcomes benefit from therapeutic hypothermia are robust when compared over a wide range of studies of actual implementation” (Sagalyn, Band, Gaieski & Abella, 2009).

The literature review was done in order to gain the initial data to be able to start the research project itself, and as such, added information on the topic itself, as it provided the burden of proof for the theory itself. It was highly inclusive of the subject being explored as a result, for it was the primary methodology used in order to gain the data to correlate the theory and gain proof for the theory itself. The theoretical framework present was the benefit of clinically induced hypothermia on cardiac arrest patients outside of a clinical trial, directly relating to the question that the paper itself strives to answer.

It is clearly detailed in the first and second paragraphs of the research article itself, and is used to provide the setting for the remainder of the paper itself. The specific sample method and sample size is not identified; however, the process used to determine if a study could be used as a part of the data for this particular study is detailed. The participants identified for the study were included or excluded on the basis of only a few qualifiers. “