Citation

Pozos RS, Israel D, McCutcheon R, Wittmers LE, Sessler D. Ann. Emerg. Med. 1987; 16(9): 1037-1041.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1987, American College of Emergency Physicians, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

3631668

Abstract

Human reaction to cold stress and hypothermia involves shivering. Another form of overt shaking, postoperative shivering, has been attributed as a thermoregulatory response to postoperative hypothermia. Analysis of the normal human shivering pattern showed a synchronized, slow amplitude modulation (six to eight cycles/min) over all muscles sampled. In addition, there was a frequency of 8 to 10 Hz associated with each low-frequency amplitude modulation. EMG signals from postoperative patients revealed none of the major patterns seen in thermal-induced shivering. Cold-induced vasodilation also was studied and found to occur simultaneously in all cold-stressed fingers regardless of size or innervation. Thermal shivering and cold-induced vasodilation are considered to be manifestations of central neural oscillators.

Language: en