Abstract

ELECTRODERMAL ACTIVITY: APPLICATIONS IN PERIOPERATIVE CARE

Background: Electrodermal activity is originated from the activation of sweat glands in the skin in response to stress or other stimuli and thought to reflect the activity of the sympathetic nervous system, or physiological arousal. Though it has been studied since the late 19th century, it still does not make the transition into everyday clinical application. Improvement of recording and analyzing measurement data has recently increased the interest for possible applications in various clinical settings- operation room, recovery and intensive care unitwhere monitoring of autonomous nervous system activity is vital. Aims: This paper presents the applications of electrodermal activity measurements, in both adult and pediatric patients. Materials-methods: It especially reviews the results of studies carried out in perioperative setting and reviews their results. Conclusion: Although no final conclusion can be drawn safely, it seems that in adult populations electrodermal activity monitoring has the role of stress detector, while in pediatric populations it works more efficiently as algesimeter. Possible future applications in intensive care are also discussed.

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