Title: A Study of body temperature during general anaesthesia
Abstract: 1.
Physiological reactions of 35 afebrile adults to the thermal environment during surgical anaesthesia were studied.
2.
In the air temperature range 20.1-29.0° C. dry bulb and 14.8-25.6° C. wet bulb observations on the rectal temperature indicated no embarrassment of thermoregulation.
3.
The mean air temperature at which sweating occurred was 27.5° C.
4.
Skm temperatures along the lower limb rose quickly after induction of anaesthesia to within a few degrees of rectal temperature and generally remained high throughout anaesthesia.
5.
Possible factors influencing heat regulation during surgical anaesthesia are discussed.