Minimizing Shivering During Targeted Normothermia: Comparison Between Novel Transnasal and Surface Temperature-Modulating Devices

BackgroundShivering is a common adverse effect of achieving and maintaining normothermia in neurocritical care patients. We compared the burden of shivering and shivering-related interventions between a novel transnasal temperature-modulating device (tnTMD) and surface cooling temperature-modulating devices (sTMDs) during the first 24 h of targeted normothermia in mechanically ventilated febrile neurocritical care patients.MethodsThis is a case-control study controlling for factors that impact shiver burden: age, sex, body surface area. All patients underwent transnasal cooling (CoolStat, KeyTech, Inc.) as part of an ongoing multicenter clinical trial (NCT03360656). Patients undergoing treatment with sTMDs were selected from consecutively treated patients during the same time period. Data collected included the following: core body temperature (every 2 h), bedside shivering assessment scale (BSAS) score (every 2 h), and administration of antishivering medication for a BSAS score > 1. Time to normothermia (& LE; 37.5 & DEG;C), as well as temperature burden > 37.5 & DEG;C (& DEG;C x h), were compared between groups using Student's t-test for mean differences. The proportion of patients requiring interventions, as well as the number of interventions per patient, was compared using the & chi;(2) test. Significance was determined based on a p value < 0.05.ResultsThere were 10 tnTMD patients and 30 sTMD patients included in the analysis (mean age: 62 & PLUSMN; 4, 30% women, body surface area = 1.97 & PLUSMN; 0.25). There were no differences between groups in temperature at cooling initiation (tnTMD: 38.5 & PLUSMN; 0.2 & DEG;C vs. sTMD: 38.7 & PLUSMN; 0.5 & DEG;C, p = 0.3), time to & LE; 37.5 & DEG;C (tnTMD: 1.8 & PLUSMN; 1.5 h vs. sTMD: 2.9 & PLUSMN; 1.4 h, p = 0.1), or temperature burden > 37.5 (tnTMD: - 0.4 & PLUSMN; 1.13 & DEG;C x h vs. sTMD median [IQR]: - 0.57 & PLUSMN; 0.58 & DEG;C x h, p = 0.67). The number of tnTMD patients who received pharmacologic shivering interventions was lower than the number of controls (20 vs. 67%, p = 0.01). tnTMD patients also had fewer shivering interventions per patient (0 [range: 0-3] vs. 4 [range: 0-23], p < 0.001).ConclusionsA transnasal cooling approach achieved similar time to normothermia and temperature burden with less shivering than surface cooling. This approach may be a feasible option to consider for mechanically ventilated febrile neurocritical care patients.

Automated summary

This study compared a novel transnasal temperature-modulating device (tnTMD) with surface cooling temperature-modulating devices (sTMDs) in achieving and maintaining normothermia in mechanically ventilated febrile neurocritical care patients. The results showed that the tnTMD approach achieved similar time to normothermia and temperature burden with less shivering compared to the sTMD approach. This suggests that transnasal cooling could be a feasible option for this patient population.