Temperature maintenance in infants undergoing anaesthesia and surgery

A study has been conducted on infants under six months of age during induction and anaesthesia to compare the effect on heat loss when a warming blanket, a humidifier and an overhead heater were used. The combination of all three was associated with significantly less heat loss than when the blanket was used alone. The particular benefit of the overhead heater during prolonged preparation for neurosurgery was also demonstrated. It is recommended that overhead heaters should be used during induction of anaesthesia in infants.