Intravenous fluids warming by mattress is simple and efficient during pediatric surgery

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Anesthesiology
• Surgical Patient Safety
• Thermoregulation in Children

Background:

• Maintaining normothermia is critical during pediatric surgery.
• Intravenous (i.v.) fluid warming is a key strategy for temperature control.
• Effectiveness of different i.v. fluid warming methods requires evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare two methods of warming i.v. fluids for preserving normothermia in pediatric patients undergoing abdominal surgery.
• To assess the impact of fluid warming techniques on intraoperative core temperature.

Main Methods:

• 59 children (≤8 years) undergoing abdominal surgery were randomized into two groups.
• Group M: i.v. tubing placed under a warming mattress.
• Group T: active i.v. fluid tube warming system.
• Core temperature (CT) and infusion fluid temperature (IFT) measured at 30-min intervals.

Main Results:

• Baseline characteristics (age, weight, procedure length) were similar between groups.
• IFT increased by 1.2°C in Group M vs. 0.2°C in Group T.
• Core temperature increased by 1.0°C in Group M vs. 0.2°C in Group T, achieving similar final CTs.
• Higher CT increase in Group M correlated with higher IFT.

Conclusions:

• Warming i.v. fluids under a mattress led to a more pronounced increase in core temperature compared to an active warming system.
• Both warming methods effectively preserved normothermia during pediatric abdominal surgery.
• The method of warming i.v. fluids can influence intraoperative patient temperature.