Journal of anesthesia
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Journal of anesthesia · Mar 1994
Effects of a forced-air system (Bair Hugger, OR-type) on intraoperative temperature in patients with open abdominal surgery.
Intraoperative hypothermia is difficult to avoid and may present a significant clinical risk during the early postoperative phase. We evaluated a forced-air system [Bair Hugger, OR-type (BH)] for warming intraoperative patients with open abdominal surgery. Twenty patients received BH warming [BH(+) group] and another 20 patients, who served as controls, did not [BH(-) group]. ⋯ Rectal and fingertip temperatures in the BH(+) group were significantly higher than those in the BH(-) group, and central-peripheral temperature gradients in the BH(+) group were significantly smaller than those in the BH(-) group during the study, except at 180 min. No shivering occurred in either group. Therefore, BH is an effective warming device during open abdominal surgery.
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The stability of enflurane in soda lime was examined. A product of enflurane decomposition was detected after the reaction of enflurane with soda lime, but not in the absence of soda lime. ⋯ The same decomposition product was produced by the reaction of enflurane with potassium, sodium, or calcium hydroxides, and it was also detected in the gas phase at a maximum concentration of 1.29 ppm at 420 min after 5% enflurane circulated with 200 ml/min carbon dioxide gas in a closed anesthesia circle system with a soda lime canister and a model lung. We concluded that enflurane was decomposed to 1-chloro-1,2-difluorovinyl difluoromethyl ether by soda lime.