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S U P P L E M E N T T O O U T P AT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E | M AY 2 0 1 4
Y
ou might not think a shivering patient and a surgical site infec-
tion go together, but they go hand in hand. As hangovers are to
happy hours, SSIs are the delayed and dangerous reactions to
hypothermia. Besides being one of the more unpleasant side
effects of surgery, hypothermia is one of the most common risk
factors associated with SSIs.
But what does a cold patient have to do with a wound infection? Hypothermia
may increase patients' susceptibility to perioperative wound infections by caus-
ing vasoconstriction and impaired immunity. As the body's core temperature
declines, so does its antibody- and cell-mediated immune defenses, and the
P A T I E N T W A R M I N G
Active warming is proven to cut
down on surgical site infections.
Dan O'Connor | Editor-in-Chief
INCREASED WOUND INFECTION Even mild hypothermia triples the risk of surgical site infection.
Hypothermia's
Direct Link to SSIs
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