Objective: To determine whether patients with return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) following cardiac arrest who received mild hypothermia have improved mortality and neurological outcomes compared with those who do not receive mild hypothermia.
Methods: Online database searches were performed for English-language randomized controlled trials published before March 2014, comparing mild hypothermia (32-34℃) with normothermia or hypothermia other than mild hypothermia after cardiac arrest, in adults with ROSC. Data were independently extracted using a dedicated form. Mortality rates and neurological outcomes were recorded for the overall population and for in-hospital and prehospital mild hypothermia subgroups.
Results: Seven articles were identified for inclusion in the meta-analysis. Mild hypothermia demonstrated no significant beneficial effects in terms of overall mortality or neurological outcomes. In addition, no significant outcome differences were observed between the pre- and in-hospital subgroups.
Conclusions: On the basis of this limited data set, mild hypothermia does not improve mortality rates or neurological outcomes in patients with ROSC after cardiac arrest, regardless of the timing of the hypothermia. Larger trials need to be carried out to confirm these findings.
Keywords: Therapeutic hypothermia; cardiac arrest; mortality; neurological outcome; return of spontaneous circulation.
© The Author(s) 2015.