• D Marelli, R C Chiu, D M Fleiszer, and R A Brown.
• Surgical Intensive Care Unit, Montreal General Hospital, PQ.
• Can J Surg. 1988 Nov 1;31(6):434-6.

AbstractBecause of inadequate rewarming or equilibration of body temperature, patients who undergo cardiac surgery with hypothermia often are still hypothermic after arrival in the intensive care unit. The incidence of residual hypothermia and its hemodynamic effects were assessed in this study. Of 82 adults who underwent cardiac surgery, 41 were normothermic with core temperatures of 35.5 degrees C or higher (mean 36.0 +/- 0.1 degrees C) and 41 were hypothermic with temperatures below 35.5 degrees C (mean 34.9 +/- 0.1 degrees C) on arrival at the intensive care unit (p less than 0.005). Patients with hypothermia had significantly (1.9 +/- 0.1 versus 2.2 +/- 0.1, p less than 0.05) lower cardiac indices. Although not statistically significant, there was a trend toward higher systemic vascular resistance in the patients with hypothermia. The authors conclude that mild residual hypothermia is still common after cardiac surgery and may contribute to the depressed hemodynamic status of these patients.

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