Heat Flow and Distribution during Epidural Anesthesia

Abstract

Background Core hypothermia after induction of epidural anesthesia results from both an internal core-to-peripheral redistribution of body heat and a net loss of heat to the environment. However, the relative contributions of each mechanism remain unknown. The authors thus evaluated regional body heat content and the extent to which core hypothermia after induction of anesthesia resulted from altered heat balance and internal heat redistribution.