Thermoregulation Flashcards
What is thermoregulation?
Process of maintaining core body temperature at a near constant value.
How do you produce heat?
Shivering when cold. That increases muscle activity which increases heat production in the body. Thermoreceptors send signals to hypothalamus. Homeostasis-body tries to maintain that. Body sends signals to brain when you’re too cold or hot.
*Any activity in body or muscles produce heat. Energy produces heat. Food produces energy and increases heat in body.
-Chemical production-stress/nervous-sweating, HR increases producing heat.
-To much heat-body vasodilates to release the excess heat to lower the temp.
-Body keeps heat in through vasoconstriction and keeps everything in and moves everything to center of body. Heart pumps/brain works.
How does the body conserve heat?
-Body conserves heat through vasoconstriction-Keeping heat in.
-Moves blood to tissue where it needs to go (wearing clothes/blankets) providing a barrier to body heat.
-Homeostasis-Body temp.
How is heat loss in the body?
-Conduction-Body touching something colder-Heat is loss from body to surface. Ex. Ice pack-melts (warms up) and your body cools down.
-Convection-Elements that can cool you off (wind & water)-Moves over skin & cause it to cool off *Water moving around you and body heat goes into cool water. Air moves around you and you cool down in cool air moving.
-Radiation-Heat administered from surfaces into the air. Ex. Lying beside someone in bed.
-Evaporation-Warms skin or heats water and turns to sweat. Sweat evaporates and cools us off.
What is normal body temperature? The range and setting point as well?
98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, Range: 97.0-100.0 degrees Fahrenheit, Setting point is 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit
How is temperature controlled in the body?
-Homeostasis-Where body wants to be at (set temp.) When above set point of 98.6 there is a fever. Thermoreceptors are sent to the brain and it needs to get rid of foreign objects (pyrogens)/white blood cells go because of brain signaling to go towards pyrogen. When temp goes up the brain signals to do something about pyrogen. Set point increases and does something about increased temp. Set point goes back to normal with pyrogen is gone.
How does the environment affect hypothermia/hyperthermia?
Environment affects hypothermia/hyperthermia. Temp. elevates but set point in brain doesn’t. In cold it continues to fall. In hot environment it continues to rise.
*Take antipyretic for fever. Brings down temp. Being outside in heat you have to do interventions to help reduce the fever. Meds want help. Hypothalamus sends signals to body when too hot or too cold.
What is a fever? What can you do for a fever?
-Fever in relation to pathogen in body and greater than 100.4. Reducing fever reduces the body ability to produce WBC and so the temp. decreases. Dr. writes order for temp over 101.2.
-Cool drinks, take off clothes, take a cool bath, and cool wash cloth on forehead when you don’t want to give them meds.
*Exogenous-fever producing agent from outside body.
*Endogenous-fever producing agents inside the body (Bacteria created but in wrong place-E. Coli, or cancerous cell in body)
What is hyperthermia?
-Hyperthermia- Environmental Conditions-Temp. greater than normal without a cause (pyrogen). They might have heat exhaustion (body way of saying we need to do something- first start sweating and temp. rises) and turns to heat stroke if you don’t do anything or its to late to do something.
What are some medical factors of altered thermoregulation?
-Medical factors-hypothalamus (problems with it) causes thermoregulation problems including (brain injury, stroke, and benign neoplasm) fever increases temp. until with systemic infection and it decreases, medical condition that decrease perfusion, thyroid issues (produce hormones) and problems can cause metabolic problems(hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism), infection, premature birth, traumatic injury, and protein calorie malnurition, and burns.
What are some environmental factors of altered thermoregulation?
-Environmental Factors-Being out in cold or hot with prolonged exposure or too many clothes. Rooms to hot or too cold (older pts. In hospitals). Homeless at risk because of them not having somewhere to go, money (older people usually on low income), Homeless as far as not having appropriate clothing.
What kinds of thermoregulation problems does infants and children experience?
*Infants lose heat through their heads (bigger surface area)
*Newborns don’t have heat conceiving capacity, thin layer of subcutaneous fat(depend on caregiver to keep warm).
*Infants have underdeveloped temp. regulation capacity, brown adipose tissue, non-shivering thermogenesis, blood vessels closer to skin contribute to heat loss, and at risk for infection can cause a fever
What kinds of thermoregulation problems does adolescents experience?
*Sports/physical activity-When they don’t rest and hydrate, they get heat exhaustion/heat stroke.
*They are sweating trying to cool off.
*Driving at 16-risks for accidents & hypothalamus regulates ability to control temp. and can cause (brain injury.) Injuries in general can affect the brain.
What kinds of thermoregulation problems do adults experience?
*Occupation-Very hot or cold
*Automobile accidents (head injuries)
*Homeless population
*Disease process-metabolism controlled by thyroid. Losing weight, cold, & gain weight when thyroid is not working properly.
What kinds of thermoregulation problems do older adults experience?
*Slower circulation, including decreased vasoconstrictor responses, reduced function of thermoregulatory capacity of the skin (including decreased or absent sweating)
*Reduced heat production (associated with slower metabolic and physical activity)
*Decreased shivering response, and reduced perception of environmental temperature, are seen among older adults (disease processes and can’t afford heat or ac due to fixed income). They don’t eat as much and immune system is lower causing infections and high temp.
