1 0 2 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 7
Y
ou apply warm cot-
ton blankets and
actively warm
patients before, dur-
ing and after surgery
without a second thought to main-
taining normothermia. But there's
more than you might think that
goes into keeping patients' core
body temperatures above 36°C.
Here are a 6 things you might not
know about hypothermia preven-
tion.
1. FDA did not endorse forced air
Fearful that hospitals and surgical centers would stop warming
patients altogether over concerns about the safety of forced-air warm-
ing (FAW), the FDA sent healthcare providers a letter (osmag.net/
4ezKYS) in August reiterating the importance of actively warming sur-
gical patients with "thermoregulation devices." Because the letter
mentions forced air by name, it was easy to misinterpret the letter as
an FDA endorsement of FAW. "The FDA continues to recommend the
use of thermoregulating devices (including forced air thermal regulat-
ing systems) for surgical procedures when clinically warranted," reads
the letter.
6 Things You Might Not Know About
Patient Warming
A look at the not-so-obvious
details of hypothermia prevention.
• PRE-OP WARMING If the patient starts off surgery with a higher
core temperature, it might not drop as low during induction.
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN,
CNOR
Brielle Gregory | Associate Editor
