Pettigrew technique of inducing whole-body hyperthermia

The current use of heated wax as a surface contact heating source to induce whole-body hyperthermia (WBH) in the anesthetized patient is described. Heated anesthetic gases and epidural block are no longer routinely used. Hemodynamic, physiological, and biochemical changes are described. Deaths due to cardiac arrhythmias, disseminated intravascular coagulopathy, and liver failure have occurred rarely. Other complications included peripheral nerve palsies, mental disorientation, subclinical liver damage, decubitus ulceration, anemia, circumoral herpes simplex, lethargy, and anorexia. Transverse myelitis and coma occurred in 2 patients who had previously received high-dose irradiation to the spinal cord and cerebral region, respectively. The 232 patients in 4 centers have undergone 682 heating sessions. The method to produce prolonged WBH of 41.8 degrees C is simple and reliable.