normotherme

Normotherme is a rarely used term in English, with the standard equivalents being normothermia or normothermic. It refers to the state or process of maintaining a normal core body temperature in warm-blooded organisms. In humans, core temperature typically ranges from about 36.5 to 37.5°C (97.7–99.5°F), though the exact baseline varies among individuals and can change with time of day, activity, and measurement site. Normothermia implies effective thermoregulation, where heat production is balanced by heat loss.

Deviations from normothermia include hypothermia (lower than normal core temperature) and hyperthermia (higher than normal core temperature). Clinically, temperature abnormalities are associated with increased morbidity: hypothermia can worsen bleeding, infection risk, and cardiac events, while hyperthermia or fever can increase metabolic demand and stress organ function. In some settings, controlled hypothermia or fever management may be used therapeutically, but these are carefully monitored processes.

In medical care, maintaining normothermia is a common goal during anesthesia, surgery, neonatal care, and critical illness. Temperature is measured primarily at core sites such as esophageal, rectal, bladder, or tympanic locations, with peripheral methods used as supplementary data. Management to preserve normothermia includes environmental warming or cooling as needed, warming blankets or forced-air systems, warmed intravenous fluids, and, when necessary, active cooling measures.

Etymology-wise, normo- means normal and therm meaning heat. While normotherme appears in some sources, norms in English practice favor normothermia and normothermic to describe a normal body-temperature state.