Mild therapeutic hypothermia in patients resuscitated from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Aims: Guidelines recommend mild therapeutic hypothermia (MTH) for survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). However, there is little literature demonstrating a survival benefit. We performed a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the efficacy of MTH in patients successfully resuscitated from OHCA. Materials and Methods: Electronic databases were searched for RCT involving MTH in survivors of OHCA, and the results were put through a meta-analysis. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality, and the secondary endpoint was favorable neurological function. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed using the Mantel-Haenszel method. A fixed-effect model was used and, if heterogeneity (I² ) was >40, effects were analyzed using a random model. Results: Six RCT (n = 1400 patients) were included. Overall survival was 50.7%, and favorable neurological recovery was 45.5%. Pooled data demonstrated no significant all-cause mortality (OR, 0.81; 95% CI 0.55-1.21) or neurological recovery (OR, 0.77; 95% CI 0.47-1.24). No evidence of publication bias was observed. Conclusion: This meta-analysis demonstrated that MTH did not confer benefit on overall survival rate and neurological recovery in patients resuscitated from OHCA.