Survival is rare after major trauma if core temperature falls below 32 degrees C. Available rewarming methods are often ineffective. We utilized arterial and venous catheters to create a circulatory fistula through the heating mechanism of a modified commercially available counter-current fluid warmer to achieve simple, rapid extracorporeal rewarming.
Department of Surgery, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle 98104.
J Trauma. 1991 Aug 1;31(8):1151-4.
AbstractSurvival is rare after major trauma if core temperature falls below 32 degrees C. Available rewarming methods are often ineffective. We utilized arterial and venous catheters to create a circulatory fistula through the heating mechanism of a modified commercially available counter-current fluid warmer to achieve simple, rapid extracorporeal rewarming.