Evaluation of digital thermal monitoring as a tool to assess perioperative vascular reactivity.

Aim: The inflammatory response following tissue injury after major surgery is known to affect endothelial function and vascular reactivity. In this study we evaluated the utility of bedside Digital Thermal Monitoring (DTM) as a surrogate for evaluating vascular function in the postoperative period.

Methods: Ischemia-induced reactive hyperemia variables were measured in sixty patients scheduled for major thoracic surgery using DTM (VENDYS 5000BC; Endothelix, Inc.