Effects of Perioperative Hypothermia on Extubation, Recovery Time, and Postoperative Shivering in Breast Surgery

Women undergoing breast surgery seem to be under the risk for hypothermia (central body temperature <36°) due to the uncertainty caused by the preoperative preparation time and the variety of operations, leading to neglect of warming precautions. The study examines the perioperative hypothermia (PH) in breast surgery and the relationships between the depth of decrease in body temperature and individual or clinical variables. This prospective, cross-sectional, observational study includes 120 female patients 18-65 years of age who were given general anesthesia for breast surgery. The incidence of hypothermia was 68.1%. The given patients were discriminated as body temperature <36°, hypothermia was significantly related with lower weight, body mass index, American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA) score, baseline body temperatures, higher extubation, and recovery times. When patients' temperature decreases by >1 or 1.5°, lower age and longer durations of operation and anesthesia were also significant variables. The incidence of shivering is quite high at temperatures below 36°C or at 1 and 1.5°C reductions from baseline (72.7%, 84%, 94.1%, respectively). Body temperature changes of the patients had no effect on nausea-vomiting and pain scores. It turned out that the incidence of PH and shivering is high in women who underwent breast surgery. We think that the depth of decrease in body temperature should be taken into account when evaluating the predictors or clinical consequences of hypothermia, except for the 36°C limit for body temperature.