title: Regional cooling for reducing brain temperature and intracranial pressure.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effectiveness of regional cooling for reducing brain temperature (BrTe) and intracranial pressure (ICP) in patients where conventional clinical treatment has failed.
  
  
  METHODS
  Regional cooling was carried out using ice bags covering the area of the craniectomy (regional method) in 23 patients. The BrTe and ICP were determined using a fiber optic sensor. Thirteen patients (56.52%) were female. The ages ranged from 16 to 83 years (mean of 48.9). The mean APACHE II score was 25 points (11-35). The patients were submitted, on mean, to 61.7 hours (20-96) of regional cooling.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a significant reduction in mean BrTe (p<0.0001--from 37.1 degrees C to 35.2 degrees C) and mean ICP (p=0.0001--from 28 mmHg to 13 mmHg).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that mild brain hypothermia induced by regional cooling was effective in the control of ICP in patients who had previously undergone decompressive craniectomy.
authors.affiliation: Intensive and Critical Medicine, Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit, Hospital Meridional, Real e Benemérita Sociedade Portuguesa de Beneficência de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. fortelv@uol.com.br
authors.forename: Luis Vicente
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: Forte
authors.forename: Cássio Morano
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Peluso
authors.forename: Mirto Nelso
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Prandini
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Godoy
authors.forename: Salomon Soriano Ordinola
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Rojas
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D056424:Decompressive Craniectomy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007036:Hypothermia, Induced / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D019586:Intracranial Hypertension / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult