Introduction: We evaluated the efficacy of and tolerance to mild therapeutic hypothermia achieved using an endovascular cooling system, and its ability to reach and maintain a target temperature of 33 degrees C after cardiac arrest.
Methods: This study was conducted in the medical-surgical intensive care unit of an urban university hospital. Forty patients admitted to the intensive care unit following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest underwent mild induced hypothermia (MIH). Core temperature was monitored continuously for five days using a Foley catheter equipped with a temperature sensor. Any equipment malfunction was noted and all adverse events attributable to MIH were recorded. Neurological status was evaluated daily using the Pittsburgh Cerebral Performance Category (CPC). We also recorded the mechanism of cardiac arrest, the Simplified Acute Physiologic Score II on admission, standard biological variables, and the estimated time of anoxia. Nosocomial infections during and after MIH until day 28 were recorded.
Results: Six patients (15%) died during hypothermia. Among the 34 patients who completed the period of MIH, hypothermia was steadily maintained in 31 patients (91%). Post-rewarming 'rebound hyperthermia', defined as a temperature of 38.5 degrees C or greater, was observed in 25 patients (74%) during the first 24 hours after cessation of MIH. Infectious complications were observed in 18 patients (45%), but no patient developed severe sepsis or septic shock. The biological changes that occurred during MIH manifested principally as hypokalaemia (< 3.5 mmol/l; in 75% of patients).
Conclusion: The intravascular cooling system is effective, safe and allows a target temperature to be reached fairly rapidly and steadily over a period of 36 hours.