Effect of body temperature on peripheral venous pressure measurements and its agreement with central venous pressure in neurosurgical patients.

Previous studies suggest a correlation of central venous pressure (CVP) with peripheral venous pressure (PVP) in different clinical settings. The effect of body temperature on PVP and its agreement with CVP in patients under general anesthesia are investigated in this study. Fifteen American Society of Anesthesiologists I-II patients undergoing elective craniotomy were included in the study. CVP, PVP, and core (Tc) and peripheral (Tp) temperatures were monitored throughout the study. A total of 950 simultaneous measurements of CVP, PVP, Tc, and Tp from 15 subjects were recorded at 5-minute intervals. The measurements were divided into low- and high-Tc and -Tp groups by medians as cutoff points. Bland-Altman assessment for agreement was used for CVP and PVP in all groups. PVP measurements were within range of +/-2 mm Hg of CVP values in 94% of the measurements. Considering all measurements, mean bias was 0.064 mm Hg (95% confidence interval -0.018-0.146). Corrected bias for repeated measurements was 0.173 +/- 3.567 mm Hg (mean +/- SD(corrected)). All of the measurements were within mean +/- 2 SD of bias, which means that PVP and CVP are interchangeable in our setting. As all the measurements were within 1 SD of bias when Tc was > or = 35.8 degrees C, even a better agreement of PVP and CVP was evident. The effect of peripheral hypothermia was not as prominent as core hypothermia. PVP measurement may be a noninvasive alternative for estimating CVP. Body temperature affects the agreement of CVP and PVP, which deteriorates at lower temperatures.