Therapeutic hypothermia (TH between 32 and 34 °C) was recommended until recently in unconscious successfully resuscitated cardiac arrest (CA) patients, especially after initial shockable rhythm. A randomized controlled trial published in 2013 observed similar outcome between a 36 °C-targeted temperature management (TTM) and a 33 °C-TTM. The main aim of our study was to assess the impact of this publication on physicians regarding their TTM practical changes.

A declarative survey was performed using the webmail database of the French Intensive Care Society including 3229 physicians (from May 2014 to January 2015).

Five hundred and eighteen respondents from 264 ICUs in 11 countries fulfilled the survey (16 %). A specific attention was generally paid by 94 % of respondents to TTM (hyperthermia avoidance, normothermia, or TH implementation) in CA patients, whereas 6 % did not. TH between 32 and 34 °C was declared as generally maintained during 12–24 h by 78 % of respondents or during 24–48 h by 19 %. Since the TTM trial publication, 56 % of respondents declared no modification of their TTM practice, whereas 37 % declared a practical target temperature change. The new temperature targets were 35–36 °C for 23 % of respondents, and 36 °C for 14 %. The duration of overall TTM (including TH and/or normothermia) was declared as applied between 12 and 24 h in 40 %, and between 24 and 48 h in 36 %. In univariate analysis, the physicians’ TTM modification seemed related to hospital category (university versus non-university hospitals, P  = 0.045), to TTM-specific attention paid in CA patients ( P  = 0.008), to TH durations ( < 12 versus 24–48 h, P  = 0.01), and to new targets temperature (32–34 versus 35–36 °C, P   <  0.0001).

The TTM trial publication has induced a modification of current practices in one-third of respondents, whereas the 32–34 °C target temperature remained unchanged for 56 %. Educational actions are needed to promote knowledge translations of trial results into clinical practice. New international guidelines may contribute to this effort.