OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether postoperative hypothermia evaluated by skin temperature can be a clue of excessive bleeding requiring re-exploration. METHODS: In this retrospective study, the records of 12 patients who needed re-exploration due to bleeding in the postoperative period were reviewed and the time from the first minute in the intensive care unit until the skin temperature reached 36.5ºC was measured. Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) durations were noted as were preoperative and postoperative Activated Clotting Times (ACT) and the lowest body temperatures during the operation. A control group was formed of 16 randomly chosen patients who did not need re-exploration with CPB times similar to the study group. All parameters were compared between the two groups using the SPSS software version 10.0. RESULTS: The length of time from the first minute in the intensive care unit until skin temperatures reached 36.5ºC were significantly longer in the study group (p=0.0001). Preoperative and postoperative ACT were not significantly different (p=0.312 and p=0.576 respectively). The lowest body temperatures were also not significantly different (p=0.157). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that skin temperature is an important indicator of excessive bleeding with a need for re-exploration. Hypothermia may be a reason for this or may be a result of the bleeding.
Induced hypothermia; Blood loss, surgical; Preoperative care; Cardiopulmonary bypass
