Relation between initial hypothermia, course of the hypothermia and mortality in patients with septic shock: a post-hoc analysis of the SEPSISPAM randomized trial

In patients with septic shock as well as in the critically ill, the impact of hypothermia and core temperature changes during the first 24 h on mortality remains uncertain. In this post-hoc analysis of the SEPSISPAM trial, we investigated the association between hypothermia at inclusion, hypothermia trajectories and 90-day mortality in patients with septic shock.

This post-hoc analysis of the SEPSISPAM trial included patients with septic shock enrolled within 6 h of vasopressors initiation. Core temperature was assessed every 2 h during the first 24 h. Hypothermia was defined by a temperature <36 °C. Mortality was assessed at day 90.

We included 691 patients from the SEPSISPAM trial, of whom 103 (14.9%) presented with hypothermia at inclusion. After adjustment for confounding factors, as compared with patients without hypothermia at inclusion, patients with hypothermia at inclusion had a higher mortality (HR 1.92, 95% CI [1.38-2.67], p < 0.001). Three groups of patients were identified according to the evolution of their core temperature: "without hypothermia" (86.6%), i.e., patients without any hypothermia during the first 24 h; "transient hypothermia" (10%), i.e., patients with hypothermia at inclusion and becoming normothermic during the first 24 h, and "persistent hypothermia" (3.4%), i.e., patients with sustained hypothermia both at inclusion and during the first 24 h. Compared with patients without hypothermia, the "persistent hypothermia" group had the highest mortality rate at day 90 (78.3%, HR 2.83 [1.62-4.95], p < 0.0001). Mortality at day 90 increased according to temperature trajectories, being highest in patients with persistent hypothermia (78%), followed by those with transient hypothermia (49%), and lowest in patients without hypothermia (40%).

In patients with septic shock, hypothermia at inclusion and persistence of hypothermia during the first 24 h were associated with higher mortality at day 90. Mortality increased according to the course of hypothermia during the first 24 h, being highest in patients with persistent hypothermia, followed by those with transient hypothermia, and lowest in patients who never developed hypothermia.