Induced hypothermia in neurocatastrophes: feeling the chill.

Reducing core temperature to protect the injured brain has become a new therapeutic measure. The scientific underpinnings based on animal experiments seem sound. Evidence of the therapy's effect in human trials is insufficient or even possibly absent, but the techniques to produce moderate hypothermia are available, without apparent significant complications, and are relatively easy to use for neurointensivists. This review summarizes the mechanisms of neuroprotection due to hypothermia and its application in clinical practice.