Perioperative Temperature Management

Book excerpt: This practical text offers a comprehensive guide to perioperative temperature management for anaesthetists, surgeons and nurses. The physiological basics of thermoregulation and heat exchange are covered, before the changes that occur during general and regional anaesthesia are outlined. The relevant adverse scenarios associated with perioperative hypothermia, including morbid cardiac events, impairment of coagulation, increased blood loss and surgical site infections are discussed, before the methods of measuring core temperature and the equipment and techniques to keep patients warm are described. Richly illustrated and clearly structured for quick reference, Perioperative Temperature Management is an essential daily resource to help ensure safe, effective practice.