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Patient Warming Solutions
What's the best way to maintain normothermia in your patients?
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nesthesia costs the average surgical patient 3ºC, a debt that
can easily push him into perioperative hypothermia. Even
mild hypothermia can increase bleeding, pain and infection,
prolong PACU stay and delay wound healing. It doesn't do much for
patient satisfaction scores, either. Fortunately, you've got a wide
array of options for keeping core temperatures between 36º and
38ºC. From convective (forced-air) warming technologies to electri-
cally conductive table pads, and from blanket and fluid warming
cabinets to heat-reflective garments, the goal of maintaining nor-
mothermia and ensuring comfort before, during and after surgery
for every patient is within your reach.
But given the many solutions available, how do you know which
ones will work best for your facility? We've compiled information on
15 warming products on the next several pages. First, though, here
are 3 factors experts say you should consider before making your pur-
chasing decision.
What procedures are you doing? Or, to be more specific, what
parts of the body are your surgeons operating on? The answer to
this question will help to determine whether a warming method can
flexibly accommodate patients' and physicians' needs.
Anesthesia impairs the body's thermoregulatory responses, rendering
it unable to shiver and generate heat on its own. Add to that situation
the typical chill of the perioperative environment and the exposed skin
of the surgical patient, and there's a high likelihood you'll see a case of
inadvertent hypothermia. Covering the patient's body with a forced-air,
electric or cloth blanket can help to head off hypothermia, but
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Thinking of Buying …
David
Bernard