Influence of prophylactic, endovascularly based normothermia on inflammation in patients with severe cerebrovascular disease: a prospective, randomized trial.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE We analyzed the impact of long-term endovascularly based prophylactic normothermia versus conventional temperature management on inflammatory parameters in patients with severe cerebrovascular disease. METHODS This was a prospective, randomized, controlled trial comparing the course of inflammatory parameters between the 2 treatment arms: (1) prophylactically endovascular long-term normothermia; and (2) conventional, stepwise fever management with antiinflammatory drugs and surface cooling. Inclusion criteria were (1) spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage with Hunt-Hess grade between 3 and 5; (2) spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage with a Glasgow Coma Scale score of ≤ 10; or (3) complicated cerebral infarction requiring intensive care unit treatment with a NIH Stroke Scale score of ≥ 15. Treatment period was 336 hours in subarachnoid hemorrhage patients and 168 hours in patients with complicated stroke or intracerebral hemorrhage patients. RESULTS A total of 102 patients (56 female) were enrolled during a 3.5-year period. Overall median total fever burden during the course of treatment was 0.0°C hour and 4.3°C hours in the catheter and conventional group, respectively (P < 0.0001). C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 were significantly elevated in the endovascular group (P < 0.05). Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, used as additional treatment of fever, significantly reduced mean C-reactive protein in endovascular treated patients (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS The proinflammatory cytokines C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 were significantly elevated in patients receiving prophylactic endovascularly based long-term normothermia. Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs significantly affected the course of proinflammatory parameters; thus, future trials should investigate the role of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs in severe cerebrovascular disease patients and their interaction with temperature management. Clinical Trial Registration-Trial not registered; enrollment began before July 2005.