In patients undergoing open heart surgery, we assessed the effect of prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) treatment, 0.1 micrograms/min/kg dosage, during extracorporeal circulation. This treatment resulted in a marked perfusion pressure reduction. As a result, PGE1-treated group showed less urine volume than untreated control group. However, the degree of urine volume reduction relative to the decrease in blood pressure was less in PGE1-treated group than in untreated control group, suggesting a diuretic action of PGE1. We infer from these results that renal blood flow was maintained even after PGE1-induced intense perfusion pressure reduction, allowing for avoidance of renal impairment during extracorporeal circulation. In PGE1-treated adults, recovery of rectal temperature after hypothermic extracorporeal circulation was poorer but that of muscle temperature was better than in untreated adults. This phenomenon can be interpreted as representing improvement of blood-mediated heat transfer from deep regions of trunk to muscles and superficial skin due to PGE1-induced improvement of peripheral circulation. The ameliorative effect of PGE1 on peripheral circulation during extracorporeal circulation was further confirmed by the fact that the amount of NaHCO3 required for correction of metabolic acidosis was significantly lower in PGE1-treated group than in untreated control group. These results indicate that PGE1 treatment during extracorporeal circulation makes body temperature control easier, favorably affects postoperative body temperature recovery and improves peripheral tissue metabolism.