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· DOS Abstracts
Can active warming blankets prevent hypothermia
during total hip replacement surgery?
Ameneh Mosayebi Marghoob, Karen Toftdahl Bjørnholdt, Mathias Bjerring Ho,
Charlotte Hartig Andreasen
Orthopaedic surgery, Horsens Hospital
Background:
Perioperative hypothermia, defined as body core temperature
below 36 degrees, is associated with complications such as bleeding, wound
infection, and myocardial ischaemia. Forced air warming during surgery is not
always sufficient to avoid hypothermia in patients undergoing total hip replace-
ment (THR).
Purpose / Aim of Study:
To assess the effect of preoperative and postop-
erative use of active warming blankets on patient core temperature during and
after surgery for primary THR.
Materials and Methods:
Prospective study of twenty-seven patients un-
dergoing primary THR surgery at Horsens Regional Hospital from April to June
2016. Body temperature was measured rectally on admittance and pre- and
postoperatively. Patients receiving pre- and postoperative active warming
blankets (Barrier® EasyWarm®) as a supplement to the intraoperative forced air
warming (group 1) were compared to patients receiving intraoperative forced
air warming only (group 2).
Findings / Results:
Nineteen patients (group 1) and so far eight patients
(group 2) were included. Preliminary data showed no differences in mean body
core temperature or temperature changes pre- and postoperatively between
the two groups. Both groups experienced a core temperature decrease from
admittance to the immediate preoperative temperature recording. Four patients
in each group fell below 36 degrees at the immediate postoperative recording.
Conclusions:
The addition of active warming blankets did not contribute
significantly to increase the preoperative temperature of these patients, and
temperatures below 36 degrees postoperatively were not prevented. More ag-
gressive use of passive and active warming devices should be tried to prevent
hypothermia.
No conflicts of interest reported
189.