LAUSR

Background: The benefits of therapeutic hypothermia (TH) in comatose patients postcardiac arrest remain uncertain. While some studies have shown benefit, others have shown equivocal results. We pooled data from randomized controlled trials to better study the outcomes of TH. Methods: Electronic research databases were queried up till September 21, 2021. Randomized controlled trials comparing TH (32–34 °C) with control (normothermia or temperature ≥36 °C) in comatose postcardiac arrest patients were included. Results: The study included 10 randomized controlled trials with 3988 subjects (1999 in the TH arm and 1989 in the control arm). There was no difference in all-cause mortality between TH and control (odds ratio [OR], 0.83; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.66–1.05; P = 0.08; I2 = 41%). There was no difference in the odds of poor neurological outcomes (OR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.61–1.01; P = 0.07; I2 = 43%). Subgroup analysis showed a decrease in all-cause mortality and poor neurological outcomes with TH in shockable rhythms (OR, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.37–0.80; P = 1.00; I2 = 0% and OR, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.32–0.72; P = 0.92; I2 = 0%, respectively). Conclusions: TH may be beneficial in reducing mortality and poor neurological outcomes in comatose postcardiac arrest patients with shockable rhythms.