Chronic treatment with antidepressants decreases intraoperative core hypothermia.
We investigated temperature regulation during anesthesia and postoperative shivering in chronically depressed patients given antidepressant drugs. We studied 35 depressed patients and 35 control patients who underwent orthopedic surgery. Tympanic membrane temperatures 60, 75, and 90 min after induction in the depression group were significantly (P < 0.05) higher than those of the control group. There were no significant differences in mean skin temperature between the depression and the control groups. Eight of 35 patients in the depression group and 2 of 35 patients in the control group developed postanesthetic shivering. The incidence of shivering in the depression group was significantly more frequent than that in the control group (P = 0.04). The tympanic membrane temperature of the patients treated with clomipramine tended to be higher than that of the patients treated with maprotiline. In conclusion, intraoperative core hypothermia in chronically depressed patients was decreased. However, the incidence of shivering in depressed patients was significantly more frequent.


CONCLUSIONS
Thermoregulation in chronically depressed patients is often altered. The alteration of body temperature is affected by depression itself and by antidepressants. General anesthesia has an influence on thermoregulatory control. However, temperature regulation during anesthesia in chronically depressed patients remains unclear.
Kudoh
Akira
A
Department of Anesthesiology, Hirosaki National Hospital, Japan.
Takase
Hajime
H
Takazawa
Tomoko
T
D000328:Adult; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D018687:Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation / Q000009:adverse effects; D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic / Q000009:adverse effects; D001833:Body Temperature Regulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D002997:Clomipramine / Q000009:adverse effects; D003863:Depression / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007035:Hypothermia / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007432:Intraoperative Period; D008297:Male; D008376:Maprotiline / Q000009:adverse effects; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000187:drug effects; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000523:psychology; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012768:Shivering / Q000187:drug effects; D012881:Skin Temperature / Q000502:physiology
D000928:Antidepressive Agents; D018687:Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation; D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic; D008376:Maprotiline; D002997:Clomipramine