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Related Concept Videos

Thermoregulation01:26

Thermoregulation

The human body has a sophisticated thermoregulation system that employs negative feedback mechanisms to maintain an optimal core temperature. When the core temperature drops, peripheral and central thermoreceptors send signals to the hypothalamus, activating the heat-promoting center. This center triggers several responses aimed at increasing the core temperature. First, vasoconstriction reduces the flow of warm blood from internal organs to the skin so that the heat is not lost from the skin,...
Body Temperature01:25

Body Temperature

The body's temperature, measured in degrees, is determined by the balance between heat production and dissipation to the surrounding environment. For instance, if exercising vigorously, the body will produce more heat, causing sweat and dissipating that heat. Despite extreme environmental conditions and physical exertion, the human temperature-control system maintains a constant core body temperature (the temperature of deep tissues, which are the tissues located beneath the skin and other...
Body Temperature01:07

Body Temperature

Body temperature reflects the equilibrium between heat production and heat loss within the body. Most heat is generated by metabolically active tissues, particularly the liver, heart, brain, kidneys, and endocrine organs. At rest, skeletal muscles contribute 20–30% of total heat production, but during vigorous exercise, this can increase up to 30–40 times.
The average body temperature is approximately 37°C (98.6°F) and typically ranges from 36.1–37.2°C (97–99°F), remaining relatively stable...
Mechanism of heat transfer01:19

Mechanism of heat transfer

Understanding heat transfer mechanisms is essential for understanding how our bodies maintain balance in different environmental conditions. When the environment is thermoneutral, the body is in a state of balance, neither using nor releasing energy to maintain its core temperature. However, when the environment is not thermoneutral, the body employs four heat transfer mechanisms to maintain homeostasis: conduction, convection, evaporation, and radiation. These mechanisms facilitate heat...
What is Homeostasis?01:16

What is Homeostasis?

Maintaining homeostasis requires that the body continuously maintain its internal conditions. Each physiological condition has a particular set point, from body temperature to blood pressure to levels of certain nutrients. A set point is the physiological value around which the normal range fluctuates. A normal range is a restricted set of values that is optimally healthful and stable. For example, the set point for normal human body temperature is approximately 37°C (98.6°F). Physiological...
Requirements for Human Life01:26

Requirements for Human Life

The Earth and its atmosphere have provided humans with air, water, and food, but these are not the only requirements for survival. Humans also require a specific range of temperature and pressure that the Earth and its atmosphere provides.
Oxygen
Atmospheric air is only about 20 percent oxygen, but that oxygen is a key component of the chemical reactions that keep the body alive, including the reactions that produce ATP. Brain cells are susceptible to a lack of oxygen because they require a...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 26, 2026

Measuring Skeletal Muscle Thermogenesis in Mice and Rats
07:56

Measuring Skeletal Muscle Thermogenesis in Mice and Rats

Published on: July 27, 2022

Physiology of thermoregulation.

Andrea Kurz1

  • 1Department of Outcomes Research, The Cleveland Clinic, 9500 Euclid Avenue, P77 Cleveland, Ohio 44195, USA. ak@or.org

Best Practice & Research. Clinical Anaesthesiology
|January 14, 2009
PubMed
Summary

Anesthesia and surgery disrupt the body's core temperature regulation, leading to hypothermia. This review details how these procedures impair thermoregulation and the resulting complications.

Area of Science:

  • Physiology
  • Anesthesiology
  • Surgical Science

Background:

  • Core body temperature is tightly regulated, with minor variations due to circadian rhythms and the menstrual cycle.
  • Anesthesia and surgery significantly disrupt thermoregulation, often causing intraoperative hypothermia (1-3°C below normal).
  • Perioperative hypothermia results in complications like shivering, impaired coagulation, prolonged drug effects, and negative nitrogen balance.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review how anesthesia and surgery impair thermoregulation.
  • To describe the changes in heat balance during the perioperative period.
  • To outline the physiological responses to perioperative body temperature alterations.

Main Methods:

  • This is a review article.

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Field-Based Thermal Physiology Assay: Cold Shock Recovery under Ambient Conditions
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Field-Based Thermal Physiology Assay: Cold Shock Recovery under Ambient Conditions

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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 26, 2026

Measuring Skeletal Muscle Thermogenesis in Mice and Rats
07:56

Measuring Skeletal Muscle Thermogenesis in Mice and Rats

Published on: July 27, 2022

Field-Based Thermal Physiology Assay: Cold Shock Recovery under Ambient Conditions
07:54

Field-Based Thermal Physiology Assay: Cold Shock Recovery under Ambient Conditions

Published on: March 9, 2021

  • It synthesizes existing knowledge on thermoregulation during anesthesia and surgery.
  • It discusses physiological responses and clinical implications.

    • Main Results:

    • Anesthesia and surgery disrupt the body's natural thermoregulatory mechanisms.
    • Intraoperative hypothermia is a common consequence, leading to adverse patient outcomes.
    • Understanding these disruptions is crucial for managing perioperative temperature.

    Conclusions:

    • Perioperative hypothermia is a significant complication of anesthesia and surgery.
    • Impaired thermoregulation affects multiple physiological systems.
    • Further research and clinical strategies are needed to mitigate these effects.