wheeled into the OR, her
temperature gets recorded
and staff think, "36.4°C,
great. The patient's warm."
Then what happens? They spend time positioning and prepping the patient and conduct-
ing the pre-procedure time out without actively warming the patient. By the time the sur-
geon is ready to make the incision, the patient's temperature has dropped. That's poten-
tially problematic because general anesthetics cause vasodilation, especially during the
first hour after induction, letting the body's core heat flow to the extremities.
Prewarming and active warming in the OR builds up a patient's temperature reserve to
lessen anesthesia's impact on core body temperature.
• Pre-op warming. The only effective type of prewarming is active warming, which
includes forced-air and conductive warming. It's a method recommended by profes-
sional associations such as ASPAN, AORN, ASA and IHI. Our guideline requires active
prewarming for a minimum of 30 minutes for patients scheduled to undergo proce-
dures lasting 30 minutes or more. But that time frame can be deceiving. Take a simple
lipoma removal. The procedure only takes about 20 minutes to perform, but a patient
could be in the OR for 30 to 45 minutes in total. That's why our warming policy isn't
M A R C H 2 0 2 0 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 9 1
Warming without Forced Air,
Machines or Hoses
Disposable Surgical Drapes with Integrated
Warming Features
• Supports Normothermia in the OR
• Immediate Warming Upon Activation
• Tested and Effective for Over 4 Hours
Integrated Drapes Include:
• Body • Hip
• Extremity • Laparotomy & More
• Hand
LEARN MORE:
www.welmed.us/thermaldrape.php
847-337-1750
thermal@welmed.us
Surgical Drapes with
Integrated Warming Features
es with
ea eatures
Passive warming with a cotton
blanket is an inefficient and
ineffective way to warm patients.
