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External Cooling in Septic Shock Patients

Impact of External Cooling in Septic Shock Patients

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT00527007
Acronym
sepsis-cool
Enrollment
200
Registered
2007-09-10
Start date
2007-10-31
Completion date
2010-03-31
Last updated
2010-07-22

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Septic Shock

Keywords

Vasopressor, Epinephrine, Norepinephrine, Cooling, Fever, ICU

Brief summary

The rapidity of the resolution of cardiovascular failure has a strong impact on septic shock patients' outcome. The aim of this multicenter randomized controlled trial is to determine whether external cooling might accelerate improvement in cardiovascular function.

Detailed description

Patients suffering from septic shock need fluid resuscitation and vasopressor therapy for restoring cardiovascular function. Corticosteroids and activated protein C have been both proposed for vascular tone improvement. While external cooling is largely used in ICU febrile patients, benefits and risks of fever treatment during sepsis have been rarely studied. Surveys show that external cooling is usual care applied by nurses themselves without medical order. The control of thermal balance might decrease cardiac output and oxygen consumption, and reduce serum lactate concentration. However some animal studies have suggested that fever might be essential for host defence. This trial compares two strategies of fever management on vasopressor dependence in septic shock patients. In the treatment group, external cooling is applied to normalize the body temperature between 36°5 C and 37°C, while control patients receive any fever treatment. The goal for mean arterial pressure is the same in the two groups and vasopressor withdrawal is determined by similar algorithm.

Interventions

External cooling

Sponsors

Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Documented or suspected infection * Body temperature \> 38.3°C * Persistent hypotension despite fluid resuscitation and need for vasopressor infusion to maintain mean arterial pressure \> 65 mmHg. * Invasive mechanical ventilation * Intravenous sedation

Exclusion criteria

* Temperature \> 41°C * Age \< 18 years * Pregnancy * Continuous renal replacement therapy * Paracetamol or NSAI administration within 6 hours before inclusion * Need for paracetamol and/or NSAI therapy during the study period * Burns or Lyell syndrome

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frame
Number of patients with a decrease in the dose of vasopressors of 50% 48 hours after enrolment48 hours after enrolment

Secondary

MeasureTime frame
Maximal dose of vasopressorswithin 48 hours after enrolment
SOFA score evolutionon Day 3, Day 7, Day 14
Number of vasopressor free days in the ICUduring the study

Countries

France

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Mar 16, 2026