Intravascular hypothermia for acute hemorrhagic stroke: a pilot study

The use of intravascular hypothermia in the treatment of hemorrhagic stroke is currently still being researched. The exact therapeutic properties and effect of hypothermia on the natural progression of the disease are not known, and a only small number of papers has been published with results from these studies. Mild hypothermia at 34°C was induced in six patients with hemorrhagic stroke in the first 48 h after presentation, using an intravascular catheter placed in the inferior vena cava. The hypothermia was induced and maintained for 24 h followed by gradual rewarming. Another 18 patients with hemorrhagic stroke but not receiving hypothermia were then taken as the control group, and all patients were treated with standard stroke management. The patients were then followed up using the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) for 6 months and 1 year. There was a statistically significant improvement at 6 months and 1 year follow-up using the mRS score in the hypothermia group, indicating a possible beneficial effect of early therapeutic hypothermia in the management of acute hemorrhagic stroke. However, a larger study is needed in order to confirm our finding.