Temperature gradients in cardiac surgical patients--a comparison of halothane and fentanyl.

Narcotics and potent inhalation anesthetics have different effects on thermoregulation and the distribution of body heat. This study was designed to compare the effect of halothane vs fentanyl anesthesia on temperature gradients developed during and after hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass. Twenty-two adult patients undergoing coronary artery surgery were given either fentanyl (100 micrograms/kg) or halothane (0.5-1.5%) and oxygen. Thermistor probes were inserted in rectum, esophagus, and deltoid muscle. Surface temperatures were measured on the ring finger and upper arm. All patients were cooled during cardiopulmonary bypass to 28 degrees C, and ambient temperature was maintained at 22-23 degrees C. The times to cool and rewarm were comparable in both groups. Rectal, esophageal, and skin temperatures had not reached equilibrium by 60 min after bypass, but changes in temperature were virtually identical at all sites in both groups. Regardless of differences in the effects of halothane and fentanyl on hormonal responses, blood flow, or central thermoregulation, their net effects on body temperature were the same.