Following a blow to the head (traumatic brain injury), the brain can swell like a bruise, but is enclosed within the skull. If the brain swells, it can lead to a build up of pressure which can cause damage to parts of the brain. Many patients who have suffered a traumatic brain injury are admitted to an Intensive Care Unit. This is usually because they have become unconscious as a result of the brain injury. These patients require specialised care and often cannot breathe well enough for themselves therefore they are sedated and attached to a breathing machine, called a ventilator.
Cooling the body down to between 32-35 °C within 72 hours after brain injury may help to reduce brain swelling and prevent further brain damage caused by a build up of pressure.
Eighteen hundred patients who have been admitted to an Intensive Care Unit following a traumatic brain injury will be enrolled in this trial. Each patient will be allocated to receive either the usual care given to them or the usual care with the additional treatment of cooling the body to between 32-35°C for at least 48 hours. We do not know which group the patient will be allocated to in advance.
We will then look at whether hypothermia (cooling) treatment affects longer term recovery from traumatic brain injury. In doing so, each surviving patient will be sent a questionnaire by post 6 months after the injury. This is an 8 point questionnaire which will assess the patient's overall function since the brain injury.
Patient Information Booklet
Relative Information Booklet - England
Relative Information Booklet - Scotland
If you would like more information about the trial, please contact the Eurotherm team directly or email: eurotherm3235@ed.ac.uk