• Gregor Broessner, Ronny Beer, Gerhard Franz, Peter Lackner, Klaus Engelhardt, Christian Brenneis, Bettina Pfausler, and Erich Schmutzhard.
• Department of Neurology, Neurological Intensive Care Unit, Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria. gregor.broessner@uibk.ac.at
• Crit Care. 2005 Oct 5; 9 (5): R498-501.

IntroductionWe report the case of a patient who developed a severe post-exertional heat stroke with consecutive multiple organ dysfunction resistant to conventional antipyretic treatment, necessitating the use of a novel endovascular device to combat hyperthermia and maintain normothermia.MethodsA 38-year-old male suffering from severe heat stroke with predominant signs and symptoms of encephalopathy requiring acute admission to an intensive care unit, was admitted to a ten-bed neurological intensive care unit of a tertiary care hospital. The patient developed consecutive multiple organ dysfunction with rhabdomyolysis, and hepatic and respiratory failure. Temperature elevation was resistant to conventional treatment measures. Aggressive intensive care treatment included forced diuresis and endovascular cooling to combat hyperthermia and maintain normothermia.ResultsAnalyses of serum revealed elevation of proinflammatory cytokines (TNF alpha, IL-6), cytokines (IL-2R), anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-4) and chemokines (IL-8) as well as signs of rhabdomyolysis and hepatic failure. Aggressive intensive care treatment as forced diuresis and endovascular cooling (CoolGard and CoolLine) to combat hyperthermia and maintain normothermia were used successfully to treat this severe heat stroke.ConclusionIn this case of severe heat stroke, presenting with multiple organ dysfunction and elevation of cytokines and chemokines, which was resistant to conventional cooling therapies, endovascular cooling may have contributed significantly to the reduction of body temperature and, possibly, avoided a fatal result.

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