Maternal and newborn outcomes related to maternal warming during cesarean delivery

To compare two methods of maternal warming during cesarean delivery under spinal anesthesia on maternal and newborn outcomes.

Randomized control trial.

Two acute care hospitals in central Canada.

62 women (32 intervention, 30 control).

Women received either a forced-air warming blanket (intervention) or usual care warmed cotton blankets (control).

For mothers: oral temperature, degree of shivering, thermal comfort, and pain scores. For newborns: rectal temperature at birth, 1- and 5-minute Apgar scores, and frequency of interventions for hypoglycemia within 3 hours of birth.

With the exception of perceived thermal comfort, women in the two groups were not significantly different in terms of oral temperature, incidence of shivering, and pain scores. Similarly, newborns in both groups were not significantly different in terms of any of the measured variables. Although newborn rectal temperature was within the normal range, mothers in both groups showed a significant decline in body temperature to the mild hypothermic range (control 36.7 +/- 0.4 degrees C to 35.9 +/- 0.5 degrees C, p < .001; intervention 36.8 +/- 0.4 degrees C to 36.1 +/- 0.4 degrees C, p < .001).

The usual treatment of supplying warmed cotton blankets remains the treatment of choice for this population.