Abstract 156: Lower Body Temperature ’Dose’ Associated With Higher Likelihood of Survival Following Cardiac Arrest
Introduction: Post-cardiac arrest pyrexia is associated with poor outcomes following successful resuscitation and return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). Prior studies have used highest recorded temperature and duration of fever as markers for the severity of pyrexic events. The objective of this research was to evaluate the association of body temperature and survival to discharge. We hypothesized that a lower body temperature “dose” in the 8 days post-arrest would be associated with a higher likelihood of survival. Methods: Using consecutive cardiac arrest cases from a single healthcare system with integrated electronic medical record (EMR), we identified cardiac arrest patients with ROSC. Vital signs for these patients, including body temperature, were queried from the EMR and linked to individual records. We included all temperature measures within 8 days of the cardiac arrest event. Patients with fewer than 5 temperature values during the study period were excluded. For each temperature observation the difference between the recorded temperature value and 37 degrees Celsius, the time since the last observation, and the product of these values was calculated. For each patient, the total ‘dose’ was calculated as the sum of these dose products. The resulting measure has units of degree*hours and represents a measure of duration about or below normal. Multiple logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between body temperature dose and survival to discharge, controlling for age and sex. Results: Between 3/2006 and 3/2016, 352 patients were linked to serial body temperature measurements. 58% were male, mean age was 61 ± 16 years, and 52% survived to discharge. The median body temperature dose measure was 28 degree*hours, (IQR: -0.6 - 98, min: -740, max 390). Results from the multiple logistic regression indicated that for every 10 degree*hour increase in patient body temperature, the odds of survival decreased 3.1 percent (OR: 0.969, p = 0.01) when controlling for age and sex. Conclusion: In this study, lower serial body temperature ‘dose’ was associated with increased odds of survival. These findings are consistent with international guidance around the strong avoidance of fever in post-arrest patients.