A client is undergoing abdominal surgery under general anesthesia. Within the first 30 minutes after induction, the anesthesiologist notes a rapid drop in the client's core temperature. Which physiological effect of general anesthesia most directly explains this early fall in core temperature?
Peripheral vasodilation that redistributes warm core blood to cooler peripheral tissues.
Peripheral vasoconstriction that shunts cold blood toward the central circulation.
A decreased metabolic rate that lowers endogenous heat production.
Activation of shivering that increases evaporative heat loss.
General anesthetics markedly impair hypothalamic thermoregulation and cause peripheral vasodilation. Vasodilation allows warm core blood to flow into cooler peripheral tissues, redistributing body heat; this redistribution is the primary reason core temperature typically falls 1-1.5 °C within the first hour of anesthesia. Although metabolism slows and shivering is suppressed, these mechanisms do not account for the initial rapid decrease, and vasoconstriction would conserve rather than dissipate heat. Recognizing redistribution hypothermia helps the nurse implement pre-warming and forced-air warming to maintain normothermia and reduce risks such as surgical-site infection and delayed healing.
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