O C T O B E R 2 0 1 7 O U T P A T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T 3 7
become hypothermic dur-
ing their care. That's a
concerning rate, because
hypothermia increases risks of myocardial ischemia,
post-op infections, delayed wound healing and pro-
longed anesthesia emergence. Hypothermic patients
are also less likely to be ready for timely discharge,
which increases the overall cost of care and bogs
down efficient case flow. Now for the good news:
Active warming measures are easy to implement and
proven to protect patients from the chilling effects of
hypothermia.
It starts with measuring each patient's near-core
body temperature soon after they enter the pre-op
area, whether that's done orally, rectally, or at the
temporal artery, tympanic membrane, or armpit.
Whichever method you choose, use it consistently
and correctly so that you gather accurate patient
temperature data.
Make sure the ambient room temperature in the
pre-op area is set high enough to support your warm-
Designed
to improve
outcomes.
Including the health
of your department.
Enthermics® warming
solutions improve clinical
outcomes by helping patients
maintain normothermia
from admission to discharge.
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safely, quietly and evenly.
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ROAD TO RECOVERY Forced-air warming
is one of several active measures available
to maintain normothermia from pre-op to
the PACU.
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN,
CNOR
