Thermal and hemodynamic responses to postoperative rewarming with a sub-atmospheric pressure device

Cutaneous rewarming of hypothermic patients is a slow process, since vasoco nstriction limits heat transfer from the skin surface to the core thermal c ompartment. A self-contained sub-atmospheric pressure warming device has re cently been developed to allow rapid core rewarming by overcoming the vasoc onstrictive response to hypothermia. The current study was performed to det ermine the safety and efficacy of sub-atmospheric pressure rewarming by mea suring thermal and hemodynamic changes in postoperative surgical patients. Sub-atmospheric pressure rewarming preferentially delivers heat to the core rather than the skin surface, and effectively rewarms postoperative patien ts without adverse hemodynamic effects. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.