FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
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General anesthesia markedly impairs normal control of body temperature, reducing the threshold (triggering core temperature) for thermoregulatory vasoconstriction from approximately 37 to approximately 34.5 degrees C. Sweating and active vasodilation thresholds similarly are increased, widening the range of temperatures not triggering regulatory compensations from approximately 0.2 to approximately 4 degrees C. However, once initiated, the gains (slopes of response intensity vs. core temperature curves) and maximum intensities of thermoregulatory responses are nearly normal. ⋯ Core hypothermia provokes thermoregulatory responses including vasoconstriction (above the block level) and shivering. Nonetheless, many patients feel warmer after induction of regional anesthesia, apparently because perceived skin temperature is elevated. The following review will focus on anesthetic-induced impairment of normal thermoregulatory control and the resulting alterations in heat balance.