Hypothermia therapy in the postanesthesia care unit: a review

Seventy percent of all postoperative patients--over 14 million cases annually- suffer from hypothermia, which is caused by the combination of the anesthetics preventing thermal homeostasis and the cold operating room environment. Therapeutic goals are to treat shivering, prevent the severe discomfort of hypothermia, maximize rewarming rate to shorten PACU time, and maximize patient safety. Traditional warming therapies do not actively heat the patient nor do they prevent the continued loss of endogenously produced heat. Convective warming therapy is a new technology that clinical studies have demonstrated to be effective in preventing intraoperative or treating postoperative hypothermia.