Monitoring Temperature in Children Under General Anesthesia: Nasopharynx Versus Carotid Artery Surface

Farsad Imani; Khalilollah Aleamin; Mehrdad Goudarzi; Alireza Ebrahim Soltani; Fazeleh Majidi; Mohammad Reza Khajavi

doi:10.18502/acta.v59i11.7776

Farsad Imani Department of Anesthesiology, Sina Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Khalilollah Aleamin Department of Anesthesiology, Sina Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Mehrdad Goudarzi Department of Anesthesiology, Children’s Medical Center, Tehran University of Medical Silences, Tehran, Iran
Alireza Ebrahim Soltani Department of Anesthesiology, Children’s Medical Center, Tehran University of Medical Silences, Tehran, Iran
Fazeleh Majidi Research Development Center, Sina Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Mohammad Reza Khajavi Department of Anesthesiology, Sina Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/acta.v59i11.7776

Keywords: Body temperature; Intraoperative thermometry; Skin temperature; Pediatric thermal management; Core temperature

Abstract

Continuous body temperature monitoring during anesthesia in children is very important. Hypothermia in children may lead to higher morbidity and mortality. Measurement points to detect the temperature of core body are not simply accessible. In this study we measured the skin temperature over the carotid artery and compared it with the nasopharynx. Totally, 84 children of 2-10 years undergoing elective surgery were selected. Temperature over the carotid artery and nasopharynx was measured during anesthesia. Mean temperature of these points was compared which each other, and the effects of age, sex, and weight change of temperature during anesthesia were evaluated. The mean age of patients was 5.4±2.6 years s. 37% of patients were female, and 63% were male. The mean weight was 20±7 kg. The mean duration of surgery was 60.45±6.65 min. The temperature of the skin and nasopharynx was decreased during surgery as after 60 min, the deference between skin over the carotid artery and the nasopharyngeal area was 1° C. The bodyweight has a significant effect on carotid skin temperature in regression model. Skin temperature over the carotid artery, with a simple correction factor of+1° C, provides a viable noninvasive estimate of nasopharyngeal temperature in children during elective surgery with a general anesthetic.