The optimal time and method for surgical prewarming: A comprehensive review of the literature (1 September 2016)

Summary

Hypothermia is a common problem in the operating theatre, and it contributes to many poor outcomes including rising costs, increased complications and higher morbidity rates. This literature review in the Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing aimed to determine the best method and time to prewarm a patient in order to prevent hypothermia during or after surgery. The authors suggest that forced-air warming is most effective in preventing perioperative hypothermia. Eighty-one percent of the experimental studies reviewed found that there was a significantly higher temperature throughout surgery and in the post-operative care unit for patients who received forced-air prewarming.