Dr. Jeffrey Elliot FieldHBSc, D.D.S. , Diplomat of the National

dental Board of Anesthesia,Fellow of The American Dental Society

of Anesthesia

A probe containing a thermocouple or thermistor is placed in the on the skin. The probe is connected to a small amplifier box which displays the temperature. In sedation patients it is usually taped to the abdomen.

Patients temperature is important as hypothermia can be a cause of delayed recovery from anesthesia/sedation.

Body temperature can be maintained in sedated patients with blankets.

Water recirculating blankets and warm air re-circulators ( bair hugger) are used in operating theatres.

Because there is a decreased risk of burns with warm air re-circulators ( bair hugger), these are the most common means of maintaining normothermia in the OR. These however is very costly and not necessary for a sedation practice.

The Bair Hugger Blanket is placed under a normal blanket or Surgical drapes

Normothermia is defined as core temperature of 36° Celsius or 96.8°F.

In the general anesthetic world core temperature can fall as much as 1.6° Celsius within the first hour following induction.

In the sedated patient the core temperature can also fall but not the same degree as with general anesthesia.

As stated earlier in sedation we monitor skin temperature as opposed core temperature and therefore we look at changes from baseline readings to assess normothermia.