Investigating optimal warming techniques for hypothermia in a swine model of ischemia

With trauma, hypothermia is associated with increased bleeding and worse outcomes yet the pace of rewarming is unproven and its influence unclear. We hypothesized that the rate of rewarming influences outcomes and evaluated its impact in a porcine model of trauma.

Pigs underwent controlled hemorrhage and hypothermia to 32 °C for 1 h, followed by rapid or slow rewarming for 3 h. Hemodynamics and coagulation were compared along with liver gene expression.

The mean temperature reached between fast (37.9±0.13 °C) and slow groups (34.5±1.2 °C) was significantly different (p < 0.01). The slow group had a lower heart rate and the mean arterial pressure (MAP) was lower with both slow and fast. No major differences in lactate, pH, coagulation or gene expression were observed.

Our study supports rapid rewarming for reversing hypothermia post hemorrhage. Further research is needed to evaluate long-term outcomes within clinical settings.