Author/Editor     Potočnik, Iztok
Title     Pomen paracetamola pri zniževanju telesne temperature po zunajtelesnem krvnem obtoku
Type     monografija
Place     Ljubljana
Publisher     Medicinska fakulteta
Publication year     2005
Volume     str. 44
Language     slo
Abstract     After a heart surgery, involving the extracorporal circulation of the blood, the result of the non-infectious inflammatory processes, involving a series of complex pathophysiological pathways, is nearly always the increased body temperature. It arises from the vasoconstriction and shivering, which cause a strong increase in the oxygen consumption. This can lead to the ischemia of the myocard, the arrhythmia, the angina pectoris and sometimes the patient can even die. The patient can therefore be extubated only after the increase of the body temperature has stopped. Increased body temperature is therefore the main braking factor of a fast track extubation and of a movement of the patient from an intensive therapy unit to the hospital ward. It would be useful to prevent the increased body temperature after the operation, involving the extracorporal circulation of the blood. The aim of our research was to find out how paracetamol, a safe and cheap antipyretic, influences the post-operative body temperature of the patients, who have undergone a heart surgery, involving the extracorporal circulation of the blood. We were interested whether the use of paracetamol can help reduce and mitigate the phase of the increased post-operative body temperature and thus enable a faster extubation and movement of a patient from an intensive care unit to a hospital ward. METHODS The prospective and randomized controlled trial included 22 patients, who have undergone a heart surgery, involving the normothermic extracorporal circulation of the blood. Before the surgery the patients were classified in two groups. Patients in the group A were given a suppository of a 1400 mg of paracetamol, while patients in the group B were given placebo at the beginning, at the end and four hours after the end of the surgery. (Abstract truncated at 2000 characters)
Descriptors     EXTRACORPOREAL CIRCULATION
FEVER
ACETAMINOPHEN
POSTOPERATIVE CARE
ELECTROCARDIOGRAPHY
INTENSIVE CARE UNITS
HEART SURGERY