An investigation into factors that affect oesophageal temperature during abdominal surgery

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine factors which influence changes in body temperature during surgical operation. Variables included were ambient theatre temperature and humidity, duration of surgery, age of patient, index of body fat, blood loss during surgery, and the volume of intravenous fluids received. Subjects were 30 female patients undergoing elective abdominal gynaecological surgery. Body temperature was measured using oesophageal probes and data were collected for the duration of the operation. Patients sustained a mean reduction in oesophageal temperature of 1.03 degree C. Bivariate correlations indicated that ambient temperature, age, body fat, volume of intravenous fluids and blood loss were associated with temperature reduction at the level of < 0.05. Step-wise multiple regression revealed two possible models including ambient theatre temperature, each of which accounted for 70% of the variance. Model 1 included age, while model 2 included volume of intravenous fluids and index of body fat. It was noted that older patients were generally in theatre at a time when the ambient temperature was lowest. Recommendations are made to minimize unnecessary reductions in body temperature during surgery for vulnerable groups, notably elderly and thin patients.

The influence of body mass index on temperature management during general anaesthesia—A prospective observational study

“…In contrast, Winslow et al observed a small impact of BMI on intraoperative body core temperature. Further studies have investigated the relationship between a decline in body core temperature and weight in the operating theatre as well in intensive care units . Kongsayreepong et al were able to show that a higher body weight is a protective factor against hypothermia.…”

Fatores relacionados à perda de calor corporal no intra-operatório: análise de duas intervenções de enfermagem

“…Em outro estudo (12) os pacientes com menor massa corpórea tiveram maior queda de temperatura corporal, por outro lado, no presente trabalho os índices de massa corpórea dos pacientes dos três grupos de estudo embora dentro dos parâmetros considerados normais, não influenciaram na variação da temperatura corporal. A Tabela 4 mostra que os três grupos de estudo foram submetidos a procedimentos cirúrgicos em ambientes de SO que apresentaram o mesmo padrão de temperatura a umidade ao longo das avaliações realizadas, não havendo diferença estatisticamente significativa entre as médias nos grupos, com p = 0,679 para temperatura de SO e p = 0,514 para umidade.…”

Body temperature evaluation during induced pneumoperitoneum with CO2: an experimental study in pigs

“…Therefore, operating room temperature was standardized at around 27°C. A previous study demonstrated that room temperatures above 24°C exert little influence on corporeal temperature drop during general anesthesia [24]. Although it has little effect on the variation of corporeal temperature during the perioperative period [24], ambient humidity was also controlled to vary between 50 and 60%.…”