Journal of stroke and cerebrovascular diseases : the official journal of National Stroke Association
-
J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis · Nov 1996
Thermoregulatory vasococonstriction and shivering impede therapeutic hypothermia in acute ischemic stroke patients.
We tested the hypothesis that vasoconstriction and shivering thresholds are sufficiently reduced by acute stroke to permit induction of therapeutic hypothermia without additional pharmacological inhibition of thermoregulatory control. ⋯ Vasoconstriction and shivering were initiated at roughly normal temperatures in ischemic stroke patients, and these thermoregulatory responses prevented induction of therapeutic hypothermia. Pharmacological reduction of the vasoconstriction and shivering thresholds will be required if therapeutic hypothermia for stroke patients is to be induced easily by surface cooling.