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Heatstroke 2026: post-stabilisation hypothermia at 35 °C shows no benefit

What changed

A 2026 pilot randomized trial in Critical Care Medicine compared targeted temperature management at 35 °C with controlled normothermia at 37 °C after heatstroke stabilisation. The trial did not show a meaningful functional or survival benefit for induced hypothermia and reported more severe gastrointestinal injury, arrhythmias and treatment for shivering in the 35 °C group.

Why this matters for MedicalCooling

The result sharpens the heatstroke indication strategy. The strongest rationale remains rapid removal of excess heat and minimising time in dangerous hyperthermia. It does not support routinely extending cooling into induced hypothermia after stabilisation.

Study-design implication

A future AIRCHILL heatstroke programme should prioritise:

  • cooling rate in °C/min,
  • time to below 40 °C and to a defined safe target range,
  • cumulative time above critical temperature thresholds,
  • organ-function trajectory,
  • arrhythmias and gastrointestinal safety,
  • shivering and sedation burden.

Source: Critical Care Medicine / PubMed, August 2026.

AIRCHILL remains a development-stage technology. External evidence is used to define testable study questions, not to claim established efficacy.