Effectiveness of Underbody Forced-air Warming System in Preventing Hypothermia in Patients Undergoing Major Surgeries

Objective To compare the effectiveness of the forced-air warming system and the conventional warming care practice in preventing hypothermia in patients undergoing major surgeries.Methods A total of 62 patients were enrolled in this study. Patients of both sexes,aged≥18 years,and with an ASA physical status Ⅰ-Ⅲ were included and allocated randomly into intervention group(n=30)or control group(n=32). Patients in the intervention group were provided forced-air warming,either prior to induction or during the surgery procedure depending on core temperature monitoring results. In the control group,patients were warmed with conventional warming care without any intervention. Core temperature was measured by Spot-On sensor and tympanic membrane thermometer,blood pressure,the electrocardiogram,heart rate,pulse oxygen staturation,and partial pressure of end-tidal CO₂ were also monitored continuously in the two groups.Crystalloid,colloid,and allogeneic blood were also recorded by strict protocol. Results Intraoperative hypothermia monitored with tympanic thermometer was observed in 23 patients(71.87%)in the control group,which was significantly higher than that (0) in the intervention group(P=0.00). In addition,the incidence of hypothermia monitored by Spot-On sensor was 81.25%(n=26)in control group and 13.33%(n=4)in intervention group(P=0.00). Conclusion Compared with the conventional warming care,forced-air warming system is more effective in preventing hypothermia during major surgeries.