title: Therapeutic hypothermia for stroke: Where to go?
abstract: Ischemic stroke is a major cause of death and long-term disability worldwide. Thrombolysis with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator is the only proven and effective treatment for acute ischemic stroke; however, therapeutic hypothermia is increasingly recognized as having a tissue-protective function and positively influencing neurological outcome, especially in cases of ischemia caused by cardiac arrest or hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy in newborns. Yet, many aspects of hypothermia as a treatment for ischemic stroke remain unknown. Large-scale studies examining the effects of hypothermia on stroke are currently underway. This review discusses the mechanisms underlying the effect of hypothermia, as well as trends in hypothermia induction methods, methods for achieving optimal protection, side effects, and therapeutic strategies combining hypothermia with other neuroprotective treatments. Finally, outstanding issues that must be addressed before hypothermia treatment is implemented at a clinical level are also presented.
authors.affiliation: Cerebrovascular Diseases Research Institute, Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University, Beijing 100053, China.
authors.forename: Ziping
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Cerebrovascular Diseases Research Institute, Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University, Beijing 100053, China.
authors.forename: Xiangrong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Cerebrovascular Diseases Research Institute, Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University, Beijing 100053, China; Center of Stroke, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Beijing 100053, China.
authors.forename: Yumin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Cerebrovascular Diseases Research Institute, Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University, Beijing 100053, China; Center of Stroke, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Beijing 100053, China; Department of Neurosurgery, Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University, Beijing 100053, China. Electronic address: jixm@ccmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Xunming
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ji
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D007036:Hypothermia, Induced / Q000379:methods*; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy*
keywords: Hypothermia; Ischemic stroke; Neuroprotection