Effect of active temperature management on mortality in intensive care unit patients

To evaluate the effect of active temperature management on mortality, intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital length of stay, as well as the relative efficacy of antipyretic medications and physical cooling devices for achieving reductions in temperature in critically ill adults.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) investigating treatments administered to febrile patients in order to reduce body temperature. Fifteen studies reporting results from 13 RCTs met our eligibility criteria.

Treatments administered to reduce body temperature were defined as physical cooling, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, paracetamol, or any combination of these.

The primary outcome variable was all-cause mortality at the longest time point after randomisation. Secondary outcomes were ICU and hospital length of stay, and body temperature 12 hours after randomisation.

Active temperature control had no statistically significant association with mortality (odds ratio, 1.01; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.81-1.28; P = 0.95, for fixed effects). There was no statistically significant association between active temperature management and ICU or hospital length of stay. Active temperature management was associated with a statistically significant reduction in temperature. The fixed effects estimate for the active minus control treatment for pharmaceutical management was -0.62C (95% CI, -0.72C to -0.51C; P < 0.001) and for physical cooling was -1.59C (95% CI, -1.82C to -1.35C; P < 0.001).

Active temperature management neither increased nor decreased mortality risk in critically ill adults. When the therapeutic goal is to reduce body temperature, physical cooling approaches may be more effective than pharmacological measures in critically ill adults.