Anaesthesia and intensive care
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Anaesth Intensive Care · May 2014
Effect of magnetic resonance imaging on core body temperature in anaesthetised children.
Children undergoing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) often require general anaesthesia (GA). Children under GA are at risk of decreases in body temperature. This risk may be greater during MRI due to MRI scanners requiring cool ambient temperatures. ⋯ The mean (± standard deviation) pre-scan temperature was 36.2°C±0.5°C, and the mean (± standard deviation) post-scan temperature was 35.9°C±0.6°C (an overall mean temperature decrease of 0.28°C was observed [95% confidence interval, -0.36°C to -0.19°C], P <0.001). In conclusion, core body temperature was found to decrease slightly during an MRI scan under GA. These results suggest that more focus is needed regarding the cooling effects of GA agents during MRI, as opposed to the heating effects of the MRI scanner.