Induced Hypothermia Not Beneficial for Patients with Acute Brain Injury

Hypothermia induced prior to head injury reduces cerebral edema and death in experimental animals with cortical brain injury. To evaluate the effects of induced hypothermia in humans with severe brain injury, these investigators studied 392 patients aged 16 to 65 years in a prospective, multicenter trial supported in part by the manufacturer of the equipment used to maintain body temperature.

Patients were randomized to treatment with hypothermia or normothermia within 4.3+/-1.1 and 4.1+/-1.2 hours of injury, respectively. In the hypothermia group, the target temperature of 33°C was achieved within 8.4+/-3.0 hours. There was no difference in outcome between groups. In both groups, 57 percent of patients were left with severe disability, in a…