30 minutes immediately before or 15 minutes immediately after anes-
thesia end time. Address the patient's core temperature during the
pre-op time out. When a patient is hypothermic, you'll be made aware
of the situation and can apply active warming measures and monitor
temperature readings more closely.
Anesthesiologists can slide a temperature probe down the pharynx
and into the upper esophagus to measure core temperature in anes-
thetized patients. There are other non-invasive options for monitoring
patients' temperatures in the OR and in the pre-op and PACU areas,
including temporal infrared scanners and temperature indication
stickers.
OSM
M A y 2 0 1 8 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 2 9
Dr. Dellinger (patch@uw.edu) is a professor in the department of surgery at the
University of Washington in Seattle.
