Effects of hypothermia on the mechanical behavior of rabbit femoral arteries

These results indicate that in the hypothermic range under the control condition, arteries are dilated when cooled, while they are constricted when heated. On the other hand, arterial response to the activation of vascular smooth muscle cells is significantly affected by the alteration of temperature. As the mechanical behavior of arterial wall is significantly influenced by temperature, this should be considered in the development of therapeutic methods and techniques for cardiovascular diseases.