Systemic Hypothermia in Acute Cervical Spinal Cord Injury

About this trial

This trial is recruiting individuals with new cervical (neck area) spinal cord injuries to test whether cooling the body temperature will improve recovery of strength and sensation. Cooling is achieved by placing a thin tube (catheter) into a large blood vessel of the leg. Cold liquid circulates in the tube, thus cooling blood flowing past it. As blood then circulates throughout the body, overall body temperature is lowered (intravascular hypothermia). The main goals of the study are to see if cooling is safe, whether it reduces spinal cord damage, and whether it improves recovery. Participants will be randomly assigned to either have a blood vessel tube inserted in the leg to cool body temperature down to 33°C for 48 hours, or will receive standard medical care (no cooling).