USE OF IM TEMPERATURE PROBES DURING CARDIOPULMONARY BYPASS IN HUMANS

I.m. temperature probes were used in humans during and after hypotherm ic cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). After rewarming to apparent normother mia of the body core, we found that the temperature of the vastus late ralis muscle remained well below the nasopharyngeal temperature at the time of weaning from bypass. This reduced muscle temperature represen ts a considerable deficit in total body heat which may account for a l arge proportion of the afterdrop in temperature which occurs in the po stoperative period. There was no morbidity associated with the use of the i.m. probes which could be incorporated into standard clinical pra ctice.