Journal of neurosurgical anesthesiology
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Core body temperature is normally rigidly regulated by effective thermoregulatory responses that are triggered by small deviations in core and skin temperature. All general anesthetics so far tested markedly impair thermoregulatory control, increasing the range of temperatures not triggering protective responses by approximately 20-fold. Inhibition of thermoregulatory control--and reemergence of protective responses--are major factors influencing intraoperative temperature. ⋯ Forced air appears to be the most effective clinically practical cooling method. Mild hypothermia is also associated with serious complications including myocardial ischemia, impaired resistance to surgical wound infections, coagulopathies, and postoperative shivering. Consequently, patients deliberately made hypothermic during neurosurgery should subsequently be actively rewarmed.