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Published on: January 27, 2010
Prewarming Parturients for Cesarean Section Does Not Raise Wound Temperature But Body Heat and Level of Comfort: A
Mostafa F M A Kholeif1, Gerrit U Herpertz2, Anselm Bräuer3
1Department of Anesthesiology and Surgical Intensive Care Medicine, Klinikum Bremerhaven-Reinkenheide, Bremerhaven, Germany.
Purpose:
Prewarming before cesarean section lowers the rates of surgical site infections (SSIs). We hypothesized that this effect is explained due to a higher core temperature resulting in a higher wound temperature.
Design:
We conducted an open-labeled randomized study with on-term parturients scheduled for elective cesarean section under spinal anesthesia. Participants were randomized into an intervention group (prewarming) and a control group.
Methods:
Core and wound temperature, comfort level, and examination results were taken at defined times until discharge from the postanesthesia care unit (PACU). There was a follow-up visit and interview 1 day after the procedure. The primary outcome was a difference in wound temperature. The secondary outcomes were differences in core temperature, patient comfort, blood loss, SSI, and neonatal outcome.
Findings:
We randomized a total of 60 patients, 30 per group. Prewarming lead to a significantly higher core temperature. Additionally, patient comfort was significantly higher in the prewarming group even after discharge from PACU. We did not find a difference in wound temperature, SSI, neonatal outcome, or blood loss.
Conclusions:
Prewarming before cesarean section under spinal anesthesia maintains core temperature and improves patient comfort but does not affect wound temperature.
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