Body-temperature circadian rhythm in 67 patients after heart valve replacement surgery secondary to valvular heart disease

PurposePatient body temperature was monitored after cardiac valve replacement, in order to explore the characteristics of body-temperature circadian rhythm and the factors influencing that rhythm.MethodsA cohort of 67 patients who received cardiac valve replacement in a Fuzhou, Fujian province, China, general hospital underwent temperature measurements and analysis (by cosine curve) of their body-temperature circadian rhythm. A biological rhythm model was established through principal component analysis and evaluation of biological rhythm features. Multiple circadian parameters were included through linear regression analysis.ResultsPatients' temperature after cardiac valve replacement exhibited circadian characteristics (p < 0.05), among which the scores of temperature mesor, amplitude, and acrophase were respectively (37.61 ± 0.08), (0.10 ± 0.09), and −33 (–355, –119). Body-temperature rhythms were influenced by both gender and cardiopulmonary bypass time (p < 0.05).ConclusionAlthough some patients' circadian characteristics disappeared after cardiac valve replacement, circadian rhythms remained intact for most patients. Measures that were found to mitigate body-temperature circadian rhythm disruption included building a natural rhythm of light/darkness and decreasing cardiopulmonary bypass time.