Hypothermia as a neuroprotective strategy after acute traumatic brain injury: pearls and pitfalls

Authors

Luis Rafael Moscote-Salazar, Department of Research, Colombian Clinical Research Group in Neurocritical Care, Bogotá, Colombia
Tariq Janjua, Department of Neurology, Regions Hospital, Saint Paul, MN, USAFollow
B.V. Murlimanju, Department of Anatomy, Kasturba Medical College Mangalore, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Karnataka, Manipal, 576104, India
William A. Florez-Perdomo, Department of Research, Colombian Clinical Research Group in Neurocritical Care, Bogotá, Colombia
Amit Agrawal, Department of Neurosurgery, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Saket Nagar, Bhopal 462020, Madhya Pradesh, India

Abstract

Temperature is a physical parameter, and an excessively high or low temperature can alter metabolic rates can cause organ damage. Hyperthermia in neurocritical patients particularly in patients with severe head injury can aggravate the inflammatory cascade and thus increase the risk of secondary brain injury. Therapeutic hypothermia in recent years has been established as a neuroprotective method, however, its use in brain injuries or post-cardiac arrest has not been fully elucidated, since there are still obstacles to its use, which can be overcome by specifying basic professionals, about the guidelines for its use and integrating a multidisciplinary team that is necessary to successfully implement a cooling protocol.

Recommended Citation

Moscote-Salazar, Luis Rafael; Janjua, Tariq; Murlimanju, B.V.; Florez-Perdomo, William A.; and Agrawal, Amit (2023) "Hypothermia as a neuroprotective strategy after acute traumatic brain injury: pearls and pitfalls," Manipal Journal of Medical Sciences: Vol. 8: Iss. 1, Article 4.
Available at: https://impressions.manipal.edu/mjms/vol8/iss1/4