Measuring temperature

In the perioperative period patients tend to lose heat and become hypothermic. An understanding of the causes and prevention of heat loss is therefore important to the anaesthetist. Heat and temperature are measures of energy. Heat is a measure of the total kinetic energy (joules, J) of a body, and depends on the size of the body and its specific heat capacity. Temperature is a measure of the average kinetic energy, and describes the potential for heat transfer from a body at high temperature to one at lower temperature until both bodies reach equilibrium at the same temperature. Temperature is measured on a scale (e.g. Fahrenheit, Celsius or Kelvin) that is defined by fixed points related to predictable physical events (e.g. the freezing point, steam point and triple point of water).