CORE PERIPHERAL TEMPERATURE-GRADIENT IN CHILDREN - DOES IT REFLECT CLINICALLY IMPORTANT CHANGES IN CIRCULATORY HEMODYNAMICS

Following open heart surgery, changes in core and peripheral skin temp erature and changes in the core-peripheral temperature gradient were m easured in 10 children. These were correlated with changes in cardiac index, systemic vascular resistance index, mean arterial pressure and urinary output During the study intervals, which lasted 1 h each, no c hanges in medical management were made Using Spearman's rank correlati on, only a change in central venous pressure was found to correlate wi th a change in the core-peripheral temperature gradient. We conclude t hat a change in the core peripheral temperature will give valuable inf ormation about the patient's intravascular volume.