gases.
"I have to find a
reason not to use it,"
says Dr. Dello
Russo, who has also
used forced-air
warming blankets
from 2 different
manufacturers. "It
might be a knee or
shoulder procedure
that takes 5 to 10
minutes, or maybe a D&C [dilation and curettage]. Sometimes not
even a D&C is short enough for me to not warm the patient."
Balanced approach
For Megan Dill, MSN, CRNA, patient warming is anything but "one
size fits all." As an independent nurse anesthetist with Premier
Anesthesia Services of SW PA in Pittsburgh, Pa., Ms. Dill works prima-
rily with a two-surgeon plastic surgery practice.
"It can be a high-anxiety type of environment, and the forced air pro-
vides that little bit of TLC," she says. "We use an under-the-body warmer,
and we've had patient surveys tell us they really appreciate that we're
trying to keep them warm and comfortable."
When she first started working with the surgical practice, patients
were warmed only in the recovery room. The practice has since shift-
ed gears, and Ms. Dill estimates the practice now actively warms 95%
of patients whose procedures last 30 minutes or more. This, in turn,
has dramatically improved recovery times — especially with liposuc-
tion patients.
1 3 6 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • J a n u a r y 2 0 1 7
• AIR TIME Despite allegations over the safety of forced air, most surgical facilities believe it remains
a superior option for patient warming.
