Background
Core temperature patterns in patients warmed with forced-air remain poorly characterized. Also unknown is the extent to which transient and mild intraoperative hypothermia contributes to adverse outcomes in broad populations.
Methods
We evaluated esophageal (core) temperatures in 58,814 adults having surgery lasting >60 min who were warmed with forced air. Independent associations between hypothermic exposure and transfusion requirement and duration of hospitalization was evaluated.
Results
In every percentile subgroup, core temperature decreased during the first hour and subsequently increased. The mean lowest core temperature during the first hour was 35.7 ± 0.6°C. Sixty-four percent of the patients reached a core temperature threshold of <36°C 45 min after induction; 29% reached a core temperature threshold of <35.5°C. Nearly half the patients had continuous core temperatures <36°C for more than an hour, and 20% of the patients were <35.5°C for more than an hour. Twenty percent of patients had continuous core temperatures <36°C for more than 2 h, and 8% of the patients were below 35.5°C for more than 2 h. Hypothermia was independently associated with both transfusion and duration of hospitalization, although prolongation of hospitalization was small.
Conclusions
Even in actively warmed patients, hypothermia is routine in the first hour of anesthesia. Thereafter, average core temperatures progressively increase. Nonetheless, intraoperative hypothermia was common, and often prolonged. Hypothermia was associated with increased transfusion requirement which is consistent with numerous randomized trials.
Liver cirrhosis is associated with several cardiovascular disturbances. These disturbances include hyperdynamic systemic circulation, manifested by an increased cardiac output and decreased peripheral vascular resistance and arterial pressure. Despite the baseline increase in cardiac output, cardiac function in patients with cirrhosis is abnormal in several respects. Patients show attenuated systolic and diastolic contractile responses to stress stimuli, electrophysiological repolarization changes, including prolonged QT interval, and enlargement or hypertrophy of cardiac chambers. This constellation of cardiac abnormalities is termed cirrhotic cardiomyopathy. It has been suggested that cirrhotic cardiomyopathy has a role in the pathogenesis of cardiac dysfunction and even overt heart failure after transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt placement, major surgery and liver transplantation. Cardiac dysfunction contributes to morbidity and mortality after liver transplantation, even in many patients who have no prior history of cardiac disease. Depressed cardiac contractility contributes to the pathogenesis of hepatorenal syndrome, especially in patients with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis. Pathogenic mechanisms underlying cirrhotic cardiomyopathy include cardiomyocyte-membrane biophysical changes, attenuation of the stimulatory beta-adrenergic system and overactivity of negative inotropic systems mediated via cyclic GMP. The clinical features, general diagnostic criteria, pathogenesis and treatment of cirrhotic cardiomyopathy are discussed in this review.
Background-Core temperature patterns in patients warmed with forced-air remain poorly characterized. Also unknown is the extent to which transient and mild intraoperative hypothermia contributes to adverse outcomes in broad populations.
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