The New England journal of medicine
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Editorial Comment
Hypothermia for traumatic brain injury--a good idea proved ineffective.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Lack of effect of induction of hypothermia after acute brain injury.
Induction of hypothermia in patients with brain injury was shown to improve outcomes in small clinical studies, but the results were not definitive. To study this issue, we conducted a multicenter trial comparing the effects of hypothermia with those of normothermia in patients with acute brain injury. ⋯ Treatment with hypothermia, with the body temperature reaching 33 degrees C within eight hours after injury, is not effective in improving outcomes in patients with severe brain injury.