RESUMO
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the effects of mild hypothermia therapy on severe brain-injured patients whose intracranial pressure (ICP) could be maintained below 25 mm Hg.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Forty severe brain-injured patients with ICP below 25 mm Hg were divided randomly into one treatment group (n=20, mild hypothermia therapy) and one control group (n=20, normothermia therapy) to observe the changes of the concentration of excitatory amino acids (glutamate and glycine) and cytokines (interleukin-1beta and interleukin-6).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There were no significant differences in the daily changes of the concentration of excitatory amino acid and cytokines between two groups. The outcome of two groups had no significant differences.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Mild hypothermia has no additional beneficial effects on severe brain-injured patients compared with normothermia therapy if ICP can be maintained below 25 mm Hg by using conventional therapy.</p>