Abstract
Perioperative hypothermia is a serious complication of anaesthesia and is associated with many adverse consequences, including circulatory instability, respiratory depression and prolonged effects of the anaesthetics. The greatest caution should be applied to newborns and young children who are more prone to perioperative decrease in body temperature because of their relatively large body surface area and a thin layer of subcutaneous fat.
The main mechanisms of heat loss in the operating theatre are conduction and radiation, convection and evaporation. Optimum thermal homeostasis during anaesthesia in children can be achieved through combining various procedures, e.g. using warming-up air mattresses, waterproof drapes, warming of infusion solutions, or preventing airflow around the patient.
Perioperative body temperature can be measured using skin, oesophageal, rectal and tympanic thermometers, or the SpontOn device, which creates and uses an isothermal channel into the body core. Reliable body temperature measurement also helps to prevent iatrogenic hyperthermia.