Effect of hypothermia on median nerve somatosensory evoked potentials.

Median nerve somatosensory evoked potentials (SEP) were monitored in ten patients undergoing cardiac surgery with hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Anesthesia was induced and maintained with sufentanil, oxygen, and pancuronium. Esophageal, nasopharyngeal, rectal, and blood temperatures were continuously monitored. SEPs were recorded before induction of anesthesia, after induction, and during cooling and rewarming on CPB. There was a strong negative correlation between SEP latencies and temperature (except rectal) (r = -.91, P < .001). for cortical latency and esophageal temperature. A decrease in esophageal temperature of 1 degrees C resulted in an increase in SEP latency of 1 ms. There was also a weak positive correlation between evoked potential amplitude and temperature (r = .19) for cortical amplitude and esophageal temperature.