Therapeutic Temperature Modulation for a Critically Ill Patient with COVID-19
10.3346/jkms.2020.35.e210
- Author:
Han-Gil JEONG
1
;
Yunghee LEE
;
Kyoung-Ho SONG
;
In-Chang HWANG
;
Eu Suk KIM
;
Young-Jae CHO
Author Information
1. Division of Neurocritical Care, Department of Neurosurgery and Neurology, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea
- Publication Type:Case Report
- From:Journal of Korean Medical Science
2020;35(22):e210-
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:0
-
Abstract:
We report a rapidly deteriorating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patient, a-58-year-old woman, with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome and shock with hyperpyrexia up to 41.8°C, probably due to the cytokine storm syndrome. Considering extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) as the last resort, we applied therapeutic temperature modulation for management of hyperpyrexia. The patient demonstrated rapid improvement in oxygenation and shock after achieving normothermia, and fully recovered from COVID-19 three weeks later. Therapeutic temperature modulation may have successfully offloaded the failing cardiorespiratory system from metabolic cost and hyperinflammation induced by hyperpyrexia. The therapeutic temperature modulation can safely be applied in a specific group of patients with cytokine storm syndrome and hyperpyrexia, which may reduce the number of patients requiring ECMO in the global medical resource shortage.
