Effects of temperature management on postoperative myocardial injury in patients undergoing laparoscopic radical resection for colorectal cancer: A randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Intraoperative hypothermia is common in patients undergoing laparoscopic radical resection for colorectal cancer. This study evaluated the effectiveness of maintaining 2 different intraoperative core temperature targets (36°C and 37°C) compared with routine thermal management in reducing postoperative myocardial injury in this patient population. METHODS: In this randomized controlled trial, A total of 144 patients were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups: routine (target nasopharyngeal temperature ≥35°C), aggressive (≥36°C), or intensive (37°C) thermal management, utilizing a forced-air warming blanket and warm-water mattress. The primary outcome was postoperative myocardial injury, defined as a cardiac troponin I (cTnI) concentration of 0.04 ng/mL or greater. Secondary outcomes included severe arrhythmia, metabolic acidosis, shivering, and Quality of Recovery-15 (QoR-15) scores. RESULTS: Postoperative cTnI levels were lower in the aggressive and intensive groups than in the routine group (P <.05). The incidence of myocardial injury was significantly lower in the intensive group than in the routine group (6.5% vs 25.0%; P <.05). The aggressive group had a lower incidence of metabolic acidosis than the routine group (P <.05). The incidence of shivering was lower in both the aggressive and intensive groups than in the routine group (P <.05) and was further reduced in the intensive group compared with that in the aggressive group (P <.05). On postoperative day 1, QoR-15 scores were higher in the aggressive and intensive groups than in the routine group (P <.05), with the intensive group demonstrating a higher score than the aggressive group (P <.05). CONCLUSION: In patients undergoing laparoscopic radical resection for colorectal cancer, targeting a core intraoperative temperature of 37°C significantly reduces the incidence of postoperative myocardial injury.