Increase in body temperature in pediatric patients after costal cartilage harvest in microtia reconstruction: A retrospective observational study

Background: Previous evidence has clearly shown that maintaining normothermia in children undergoing surgery is difficult and is associated with adverse outcomes. Therefore, this study aimed to retrospectively analyze the changes in body temperature over time in 2 different types of microtia reconstruction surgeries, namely, embedding, and elevation surgeries. Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review of patients who underwent microtia reconstruction (embedding and elevation) between July 2012 and February 2015 (n = 38). The changes in body temperature between the 2 types of surgeries were compared. Results: During microtia reconstruction, the body temperature in the embedding surgery group was significantly higher than that in the elevation surgery group from 1 hour after the start of surgery to 1 day after the surgery (P < .001). Time, group, and time-group interaction were associated with an increase in body temperature (P < .001) but not the warming method. Conclusion: We found an increase in body temperature in patients with microtia who underwent embedding surgery (autologous costal cartilage harvest surgery), and this was related to the type of surgery and not to the warming method. Therefore, further research is warranted to determine the cause of the increase in body temperature during this surgery.