M A Y 2 0 1 6 O U T P A T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T 3 9
now it needs to be con-
sidered as one of the top
priorities."
Patients hate feeling
cold, but being chilly is a
minor and fleeting dis-
comfort compared to the
ramifications of a surgical
site infection. A deep SSI
in a hip fracture repair, for example, could result in a second surgery — includ-
ing deep irrigation and debridement — as well as removal of components for
infection.
What does science say?
A 2001 study found that infections more than tripled for patients who experi-
enced intraoperative hypothermia. Normothermic patients in the study had a 6%
rate of infection, while patients whose core temperature had decreased 2°C
from induction to recovery had a 19% incidence of wound infection.
A study released last month, "Intraoperative Hypothermia During Surgical
Fixation of Hip Fractures," is believed to be the first and largest study analyz-
ing the effect of intraoperative hypothermia in patients undergoing operative
treatment of hip fractures.
In the retrospective study, researchers from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit,
Mich., analyzed data from 1,525 patients who underwent hip fracture surgery
from January 2005 to October 2013. More than 90% of patients received a dose of
prophylactic antibiotics 60 minutes before surgical incision and dosing continued
24 hours post-operatively. Key findings:
• Hypothermia occurred in 13.2% of the cases, and in 13.6% of cases when a
re-warming device was used.
• CAUSE OR CURE? Some allege that forced-air warming increases infection risk
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN
