Effects of line type blood-liquid warmer on two different infusion sets

To investigate the source of 'bubbles' in infusion sets which were caused by the 'line type' blood-liquid warmers used in operation rooms to prevent hypothermia.

The experimental study was conducted from August to September 2012 at the Thoracic Surgery Department of Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey, by warming liquids in the operation room experimentally in a setting similar to clinical routine. Initially, 0.9% sodium chloride solution was infused using S-line blood-liquid warmers with Medisetin patients who were placed in Group M). The IPC Group had Intrafix Primeline Confortset at a rate of 350ml/hour in the operating room. The initiation time and level of bubble formation, temperatures of the operation room, infusion liquid, S-line device, line of the device, and the liquid at the outflow were recorded. Data was analysed with SPSS 15.

The two groups had 10 subjects each. The temperatures of the working area, the liquid before and after being placed in the warming device, the proximal-middle and distal parts of the line and the set temperature on the screen of the device were similar and the difference between them was not statistically significant (p>0.05). While no bubble formation was observed in Group IPC, bubbles were formed after 9.80±0.78 minutes and the level of bubble formation was close to 3 in Group Mediset (2.80±1.03). The main difference between the two groups was di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate content of Mediset.

Infusion sets containing di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate should not be used with warming devices in order to avoid toxic effects.