Effect of mild hypothermia combined with hibernation on the homeostasis of patients with severe head injury

Wei LIU; Yihua AN; Enzhong LIU; Chunjiang YU

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND:

Both animal experiments and clinical practice have confirmed that mild or moderate hypothermia is effective in reducing secondary brain injury, but its effect on homeostasis is not very clear.

OBJECTIVE:

To investigate the effect of a combined therapy of mild hypothermia and hibernation on the homeostasis of patients with severe brain injury.

DESIGN:

A randomized controlled study.

SETTING:

Neurosurgical Institute of Beijing; Neurosurgical Department of the First Clinical Medical College Affiliated to Harbin Medical University;and Neurological Department of the Second Clinical Medical College Affiliated to Harbin Medical University.

PARTICIPANTS:

The study was conducted at the Department of Neurosurgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, from June to December 2002. Totally 24 patients (aged 35-60 years) with severe cerebral hemorrhage or brain injury were randomly divided into combined therapy group and normothermia group. Their Glasgow Coma Scale scores ranged from 3 to 8. The subjects signed the informed consent.

METHODS:

Within 10 hours of their injury, patients in hypothermia and hibernation combination group were given half dosage of No. 1 hibernation cocktail (chlorpromazine 25 mg, pethidine hydrochloride 50 mg, and promethazine 25 mg), and were cooled by cooling blankets to make their body temperature dropped to 32-34 ℃ (rectal temperature). Their temperature was kept within this range for 5 days, at 35 ℃ for 24 hours, and then was slowly increased to their normal level. The body temperature of patients in normothermia group was maintained at 37-38 ℃. The mean arterial pressure and heart rate of all patients were measured continuously by HP monitor. On the 3"d and 7th days of hospitalization, intracranial pressure and creatine phosphate kinase were measured via lumbar puncture.Femoral artery puncture was performed to check the partial pressure of arterial O2 and CO2. Platelets count and blood electrolytes K+ and Na+ concentration of each patient were measured, too. On the 7th day Glasgow Outcome Scale scores of each patient and mortality of each group were recorded.activity of creatine phosphokinase, platelets count, blood K+ and Na+ conand CO2 of patients in combined therapy group on the 3rd and 7th days of hospitalization.intracranial pressure, creatine phosphokinase and platelets count The decreased values of intracranial pressure, creatine phosphokinase and platelet number in combined therapy group were all significantly higher than those in normothermia group [(104.09±54.90), (58.75±25.33) mm H2O; (26.95±19.22), (10.17±7.18) μkat/L; (89.82±46.36)×109/L, (48.83±44.59)×109/L,the mean arterial pressure, blood electrolytes, and partial pressure of artewas significantly lower than that of normothermia group (25.0%, 66.6%,P ＜0.05).

CONCLUSION:

This combined therapy of hypothermia and hibernation can effectively decrease intracranial pressure and creatine phosphokinase,but has no significant effects on the mean arterial pressure, blood electrolytes concentration, and partial pressure of arterial O2 and CO2. It has the risk of disturbing the patients' hematopoiesis.