[Pathophysiology and management of perioperative hypothermia].

The paper is a review of pathophysiology and management of perioperative hypothermia. The advanced methods of rewarming, such as passive and active: external and core used in clinic allow for efficient management ant prophylactics of hypothermia. Thermotherapy with use of infrared ceiling heaters CTS and mobile MTC as well as Infutherm system applying by authors are desirable and even indispensable in contemporary equipment of surgery clinics, cardiovascular surgery clinics and burn centers. The ideal rewarming method should be safe and enable fast, reliable and predictable warming or rewarming. The clinical parameter to determine the efficacy of rewarming is the change of core temperature. There is no doubt that active warming with forced-air warmers (Warm Touch 5700 and Bair Hugger 500) or radiative heaters (IR-A:Hydrosun 500, IR-C radiation: CTC X, MTC) is more effective than use of standard, passive insulation hospital blankets or convectional heaters. Actually the forced-air warmers are counted to be more useful in cardiovascular surgery hypothermia management, because of fast rate core temperature rise and faster rise in mean skin temperature compared to the control group. CTC X and MTC Aragona radiative heaters are useful in burn management being the most effective when the distance of heater from the patient body is less than 80 cm. The observation of 60 consecutive extensive burns leads to conclusion that long-lasting dressings in burn patients when the whole body is not covered and protected, can be performed safely only in conditions excluding heat losses and core temperature drop. While the cold intravenous fluids may significantly contribute to the temperature drop depending on the volume infused, the use of fluids warming systems as well as external heat application is absolutely indicated to improve the heat balance of the patient body.