I
f you're not already doing it, here's something to add to the
checklist when you're turning over the OR: Turn on the fluid
warmer. It takes only a few minutes for fluids to reach that just-
right Goldilocks temperature, and it's an easy, cost-effective
way to help ensure patient normothermia.
In the 25-plus years I've been administering anesthesia, I've found
fluid warming to be the most effective technique for keeping patients
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O U T P A T 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 | A P R I L 2 0 1 5
Charles
E.
Smith,
MD
z TURN IT ON The best time to get your fluid
warmer up and running is before the case begins.
The Case for
Fluid Warming
It's an underused and highly effective way
to maintain normothermia.
Charles E. Smith, MD | Cleveland, Ohio