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and normal temperature.
3. Warm in the OR
Intraoperatively, the most obvious benefit of pre-warming is likely to be less
bleeding, says Dr. Sessler, who notes that platelets don't function as well at
lower temperatures. "Platelets are what cause the initial plug that prevents fur-
ther bleeding after a surgical incision," explains Dr. Sessler. "And they don't
have any nervous system, they don't have any memory. All they know is what
their current temperature is."
He says there's also a cascade of enzymes that's responsible for forming the
formal clot that replaces the platelet plug. And like most enzymes, he adds,
they're temperature sensitive and don't work as well in patients who are
hypothermic. That might not be a big deal with minor procedures that typically
