Published online Dec 6, 2020. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v8.i23.6158
Peer-review started: July 11, 2020
First decision: September 24, 2020
Revised: September 30, 2020
Accepted: October 20, 2020
Article in press: October 20, 2020
Published online: December 6, 2020
Processing time: 146 Days and 2.6 Hours
Some patients present to the intensive care unit due to noninfectious pathologies resulting in fever, especially acute neurological injuries, including brain trauma and intracranial haemorrhage. The cause has been identified to be central hyperthermia characterized by a high core temperature and a poor response to antipyretics and antibiotics. However, no proper guidelines on how to treat central hyperthermia have been developed for clinical practice.
A 63-year-old woman was transferred to our hospital due to injury after a traffic accident. Eight hours after admission, her pupils enlarged bilaterally from 2.5 mm to 4.0 mm. She developed severe coma and underwent decompressive craniectomy. She was diagnosed with central hyperthermia after surgery and was prescribed bromocriptine. The standard dose of bromocriptine could not control her hyperpyrexia, and we prescribed 30 mg a day to control her temperature.
Bromocriptine may be effective in controlling central hyperthermia and have a dosage effect.
Core Tip: Central hyperthermia is characterized by a high core temperature and a poor response to antipyretics and antibiotics. No guidelines on how to treat central hyperthermia have been developed for clinical practice, but bromocriptine has been reported to control the condition effectively. A unique female patient who had central hyperthermia that could not be controlled by a standard dose of bromocriptine was treated in our department. We prescribed 30 mg bromocriptine per day to control her hyperpyrexia.