Effect of aluminized covers on body temperature in patients having abdominal surgery

An unintended fall in body temperature is commonly associated with surgery. One promising strategy to help conserve body heat is use of covers made of aluminum-coated plastic. We compared the effect of three combinations of the covers (head cover, body covers, both) and a control condition on tympanic temperature in 60 adults having major abdominal surgery under general anesthesia. The covers were applied from the time of transport to the operating room until exit from the postanesthesia care unit (PACU). Tympanic temperature was measured with an infrared thermometer. Between transport and PACU entry, the four groups had mean temperature decreases ranging from 1.6 degrees to 2.3 degrees F (0.9 degree to 1.3 degrees C). After controlling for background variables affecting body temperature, adjusted PACU entry temperature was higher in the two groups with aluminized body covers. Regression analysis showed that use of the body covers accounted for 7% of the temperature variance at PACU entry and predicted a 0.9 degree F (0.5 degree C) higher temperature at that time. These findings indicate that aluminized body covers help to reduce heat loss in patients having major abdominal surgery.