{
  "abstract": "Background/Objectives: Guidelines recommend active fever prevention after cardiac arrest, yet many emergency departments (EDs) lack feedback-controlled temperature-management devices. We describe what simple surface methods achieved in one ED. Methods: Observational cohort of 123 comatose adults with return of spontaneous circulation treated with routine care in a university ED (2017–2020; records to March 2019 analysed retrospectively, later documentation collected prospectively). Technique and length of the management period (12 h or 24 h) were chosen by the treating physician without a written protocol: ice packs (n = 51), ice packs plus a forced-air blanket at its lowest heated setting (32 °C; n = 45), a thin sheet only (n = 21), forced air alone (n = 4) or a circulating-water device (n = 2). Trajectories were compared in a mixed-effects model; the primary endpoint, revised post hoc from the original target of ≤36.0 °C, was fever (≥37.7 °C) after cessation. Results: Ice packs plus forced air gave lower temperatures than ice packs alone from 4 h (adjusted difference −0.68 °C, 95% CI −0.95 to −0.41) to 24 h (−0.44 °C), but overshot below 35.0 °C more often (34/45 vs. 9/51). Fever after cessation was more frequent after physician-selected 12 h than 24 h periods (23/33 vs. 6/90) and in the thin-sheet group (20/21). All 21 thin-sheet patients died; baseline differences suggest allocation by prognosis, and mortality was not analysed causally. Conclusions: Ice packs with or without forced air kept most patients below the fever threshold for up to 36 h; the combination cooled more, which did not mean better control. Safety could not be assessed, and randomised evaluation is needed.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Emergency Medicine, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-089 Bialystok, Poland",
    "Emergency Department, University Clinical Hospital in Bialystok, 15-276 Bialystok, Poland",
    "Students’ Scientific Circle, Department of Emergency Medicine, Medical University of Bialystok, 15-089 Bialystok, Poland",
    "Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care with Operating Theatre, University Clinical Hospital in Bialystok, 15-276 Bialystok, Poland",
    "Helicopter Emergency Medical Service, Polish Medical Air Rescue, 01-934 Warsaw, Poland"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 5,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Adam Jakubowski",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-6251-8206"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2,
        3
      ],
      "name": "Daniel Sosiński"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        4
      ],
      "name": "Grzegorz Henryk Łopieński",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-4914-5871"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Jerzy Robert Ładny",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-4167-1962"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Marzena Wojewódzka-Żelezniakowicz"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/bpj5g8ace7g4s.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3390/jcm15218411",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "bpj5g8ace7g4s",
  "issns": [
    "2077-0383"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/15/21/8411",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [],
  "openalex": null,
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-29",
  "publisher": "MDPI AG",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/bpj5g8ace7g4s.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:20:01Z",
      "native_id": "10.3390/jcm15218411",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/15/21/8411"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "journal-openalex:F27",
      "subfield": "general"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Surface Temperature Control After Cardiac Arrest in the Emergency Department Without Feedback-Controlled Devices: An Observational Single-Centre Cohort Study of Routine Care",
  "title_text": "Surface Temperature Control After Cardiac Arrest in the Emergency Department Without Feedback-Controlled Devices: An Observational Single-Centre Cohort Study of Routine Care",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-31T00:21:07Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/bpj5g8ace7g4s",
  "venue": "Journal of Clinical Medicine",
  "versions": []
}