Posttraumatic hyperthermia

Posttraumatic hyperthermia (>39°C), in contrast to hypothermia, has been shown in experimental models of TBI to worsen outcome. In one study, artificially elevating brain temperature to 39°C for a 3-h period, 24 h after moderate parasagittal F-P injury increased mortality, compared with normothermic rats (1). Delayed hyperthermia also significantly increased contusion volume and increased the frequency of abnormal-appearing myelinated axons. 

Chatzipanteli K., Alonso O. F., Kraydieh S., and Dietrich W. D. (2000) Importance of posttraumatic hypothermia and hyperthermia on the inflammatory response after fluid percussion brain injury biochemical and immunocytochemical studies. J. Cereb. Blood Flow Metab. 20,531-542. 

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