RT Book, Section
A1 Beilman, Greg J.
A1 Muratore, Sydne
A2 Moore, Ernest E.
A2 Feliciano, David V.
A2 Mattox, Kenneth L.
SR Print(0)
ID 1147419778
T1 Temperature-Related Syndromes: Hyperthermia, Hypothermia, and Frostbite
T2 Trauma, 8e
YR 2017
FD 2017
PB McGraw-Hill Education
PP New York, NY
SN 9780071847292
LK accesssurgery.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1147419778
RD 2024/04/25
AB Humans  as  homeothermic  mammals  must  maintain  a  stable  internal  body  temperature  within  narrow  range  to  allow  function  of  enzymes  within  this  narrow  range.  Regional  and  seasonal  variations  in  the  environment  mandate  the  ability  to  either  loose  or  generate  heat  in  order  to  maintain  temperature  within  this  range.  Mechanisms  to  either  conserve  heat  (surface  vasoconstriction,  shivering,  and  piloerection)  or  lose  heat  (surface  vasodilation,  sweating  with  evaporation)  allow  adaptation  to  a  colder  or  warmer  environment.  Three  specific  adaptive  behaviors  permit  existence  in  a  cold  environment  and  have  allowed  the  spread  of  human  kind  across  six  of  the  seven  continents.  These  are  fabrication  of  clothing,  shelter-building,  and  control  of  fire.  However,  environmental  extremes,  abnormal  endocrine  function,  or  infection  and  injury  can  result  in  the  inability  of  the  organism  to  maintain  body  temperature  within  the  normal  range,  leading  to  significant  functional  disturbances.