Skin and central temperatures during continuous epidural analgesia and general anaesthesia in patients subjected to open prostatectomy
Hendolin, H.; Länsimies, E.
Annals of Clinical Research 14(4): 181-186
1982
ISSN/ISBN: 0003-4762 PMID: 7168548 Document Number: 193113
The effects of continuous lumbar epidural analgesia and general anesthesia with artificial ventilation upon body temperatures were studied by measuring aural, nasopharyngeal, deltoid skin, calf and big toe temperatures in 38 patients subjected to open prostatectomy. The patients were randomly allocated to 2 groups: 17 were allocated to epidural analgesia, during which the rate of temperature decrease was slight and lasted .apprx. 2 h; 21 were allocated to general anesthesia during which the core temperature fell steeply for 4 h. The resulting difference in core temperatures between the groups was statistically significantly higher after general anesthesia than after epidural analgesia (11 vs. 1; P < 0.01). Seven of the 17 epidural patients (41%) shivered during the latency period of the blockade or operation. Two of the 21 general anesthetic patients (10%) shivered later in the recovery room. There existed no relationship between shivering and the core temperature. The general anesthetic patients showed a significant negative correlation between the body mass index (body wt (kg)/height (m2)) and the decrease in core temperature, indicating a protective function of the fat layer against heat loss. After epidural analgesia no such correlation was found.