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Physiology of Temperature Control

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Basic Sciences in Anesthesia

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Abstract

Body core temperature is usually well controlled at about 37 ° C. Core temperature deviations trigger thermoregulatory responses including active vasodilatation and sweating for hyperthermia, and vasoconstriction and shivering for hypothermia. During general and neuroaxial anesthesia, thermoregulatory responses are impaired, leading to delayed protective responses to hypothermia. Perioperative hypothermia is associated with increased risk of coagulopathy, and increased risk of transfusion, surgical wound infections, delayed drug metabolism and prolonged recovery, and thermal discomfort. It is therefore essential to continuously monitor perioperative temperature and maintain the patients at normothermic. Active warming is indicated in all patients having surgery lasting more than 30 minutes and having general, regional or combined anesthesia.

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Suggested Reading

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Outcomes Research and General Anesthesiology, Anesthesiology Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Kurt Ruetzler

  2. Department of General Anesthesiology, Anesthesiology Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Andrea Kurz

Authors
  1. Kurt Ruetzler
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  2. Andrea Kurz
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Andrea Kurz .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of General Anesthesia and Outcomes Research, Anesthesiology Institute, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, Case Western University, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Ehab Farag

  2. Center for Anesthesiology Education, Anesthesiology Institute, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Maged Argalious

  3. Department of General Anesthesia, Anesthesiology Institute, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA

    John E. Tetzlaff

  4. Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    Deepak Sharma

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© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG

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Ruetzler, K., Kurz, A. (2018). Physiology of Temperature Control. In: Farag, E., Argalious, M., Tetzlaff, J.E., Sharma, D. (eds) Basic Sciences in Anesthesia. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62067-1_20

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62067-1_20

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-62065-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-62067-1

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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