Reduction of heat loss in neurosurgical patients using metallized plastic sheeting.

Metallized plastic sheeting (m.p.s.) was used in 14 neurosurgical patients and changes in body heat content during surgery compared with those of 14 control patients. All patients, except three in the study group and one in the control group, lost heat by the end of the operation. There was, however, a statistically significant reduction in heat loss in the patients wrapped in m.p.s. Measurement of skin temperature offers an important contribution to management of heat balance during anaesthesia