[Intraoperative hypothermia: pathophysiology and clinical sequelae].

Both regional and general anesthesia markedly impair the normal precise regulation of core body temperature. Consequently, inadvertent perioperative hypothermia is common. Hypothermia develops because the typical operating room environment is cold; however it is anesthetic-induced impairment of thermoregulatory responses that contributes most. Internal redistribution of body heat is a surprisingly important factor, contributing more to core hypothermia than net heat loss in most patients. There is now convincing evidence that a typical degree of intraoperative hypothermia, say 2 degrees C, predisposes to numerous complications such as shivering, prolonged duration of action of several drugs, myocardial ischemia, coagulopathy and increased incidence of surgical wound infections, which alter patient outcome. Fortunately, effective methods such as convective warming are available for preventing hypothermia.