LIQUID-CRYSTAL SKIN THERMOMETRY - AN ACCURATE REFLECTION OF CORE TEMPERATURE

Oesophageal, rectal, bladder, tympanic and pulmonary artery sites are used intraoperatively to measure body temperature. However, the temper atures measured at each site have different physiological and practica l importance. The present two-part study sought to compare liquid crys tal (CR) skin temperature with other temperature monitors which are us ed routinely during surgery. The first part compared CR with oesophage al (OS) temperature during general inhalational anaesthesia. The secon d part compared CR with OS, pulmonary artery (PA), and bladder (BL) te mperatures during the periods of rapid temperature change associated w ith cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). During the first part, the mean diff erence between OS and CR was 0.14+/-0.85-degrees-C; this difference re mained consistent over time (P < 0.05 by repeated measures analysis of variance). During the second part, the difference in temperature read ings between CR and each of the other monitors remained consistent exc ept for CR vs PA and CR vs OS during the cooling period of CPB, when t he iced cardioplegia slush directly affected the PA and OS temperature s. This study suggests that CR, an inexpensive and noninvasive means o f temperature monitoring, reflects trends in temperature changes in th e clinical setting.