Mechanism of afterdrop after cold water immersion

It was hypothesized that if afterdrop is a purely conductive phenomenon, the afterdrop during rewarming should proceed initially at a rate equal to the rate of cooling. Eight male subjects were cooled on three occasions in 22 degrees C water and rewarmed once by each of three procedures: spontaneous shivering, inhalation of heated (45 degrees C) and humidified air, and immersion up to the neck in 40 degrees C water. Deep body temperature was recorded at three sites: esophagus, auditory canal, and rectum. During spontaneous and inhalation rewarming, there were no significant differences between the cooling (final 30 min) and afterdrop (initial 10 min) rates as calculated for each deep body temperature site, thus supporting the hypothesis. During rapid rewarming, the afterdrop rate was significantly greater than during the preceding cooling, suggesting a convective component contributing to the increased rate of fall. The rapid reversal of the afterdrop also indicates that a convective component contributes to the rewarming process as well.