The prevention of inadvertent hypothermia during fetal surgery: an ovine model

The effect of application of a reflective thermoblanket was compared with varying degrees of partial removal of the ovine fetus from the uterus. The thermoblanket reduced heat loss by a 53.3% slower fall in rectal temperature when compared to exposed fetuses during the same surgery (Welch t statistic = 3.68, d.f. = 26.08, P less than 0.001). This was further reduced by limiting the area of fetal exposure without thermoblanket application.