Correction of hypothermia by continuous pleural perfusion.

Hypothermia to less than 30 degrees C is associated with significant harmful effects, including ventricular fibrillation. None of the currently used techniques for core rewarming is entirely satisfactory. Continuous perfusion of the pleural space with warm saline solution has been studied as a method of core rewarming. Pigs were cooled to 28 degrees to 30 degrees C. The pleural space was continuously perfused with fluid at a temperature of 42 degrees C. Five hypothermic control pigs did not achieve a temperature of 32 degrees C in 3 hours of spontaneous rewarming. The rise in 1 hour was 0.34 degrees C. In 10 pigs that underwent continuous pleural perfusion the temperature exceeded 32 degrees C in a mean time of 56 minutes. The rise in temperature in the first hour of rewarming was 5.05 degrees C. Continuous pleural perfusion is a rapid and effective technique for core rewarming of the hypothermic pig.