The effects of systemic intraoperative hypothermia on the acute-phase and endocrine response to cardiac surgery.

To determine the ability of intraoperative hypothermia to modify changes in the plasma protein component of the acute-phase response (APR) and the plasma hormone component of the endocrine response (ER) to surgical injury, 20 patients undergoing coronary artery surgery were randomised to an intraoperative blood temperature of 28 degrees C or 20 degrees C during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Serial measurements of pack-cell-volume corrected concentrations (PCVCC) of five plasma proteins (albumin, prealbumin, transferrin, caeruloplasmin, ferritin) and six plasma hormones (adrenaline, noradrenaline, cortisol, triiodothyronine, thyroxine, and thyroid-stimulating hormone) were obtained twice preoperatively, seven times during surgery, six times in the 24 hours following surgery, and a further four times until the seventh postoperative day. A more profound level of intraoperative hypothermia significantly reduced the plasma adrenaline response to CPB but not the other components of the ER or APR.