Traumatic brain injury (an injury to the brain that occurs as a result of a direct impact, such as may occur after road traffic accidents and falls) is a major cause of death and long-term disability worldwide. There is some evidence from animal experiments that reducing body temperature after brain injury may improve the outcome. There is also some evidence in humans to suggest that people with a normal body temperature after traumatic brain injury may have a better outcome than those with a higher temperature.
The authors of this Cochrane review looked for evidence that reducing body temperature to between 35 ºC and 37.5 ºC would benefit patients after traumatic brain injury. We looked for studies on the use of physical or chemical cooling therapy on patients with a traumatic brain injury. Physical cooling techniques include cooling blankets, use of ice, fans or other devices. Chemical cooling techniques include drugs used to reduce fever, like paracetamol (acetaminophen).
We did not find any randomised controlled trials or controlled clinical trials that we could include in this review. Such studies represent the best form of evidence to determine whether a particular therapy works, because they limit the errors that may be introduced into a study. Based on present evidence, we cannot recommend the use of interventions that reduce body temperature to between 35 ºC and 37.5 ºC after traumatic brain injury because there is no satisfactory research that shows this therapy to be effective and safe.