Brief Limb-Focused Prewarming in Adults Undergoing General Anesthesia: A Randomized Trial

Area of Science:

• Anesthesiology
• Perioperative Medicine
• Thermoregulation

Background:

• Inadvertent perioperative hypothermia is a common complication.
• Core heat redistribution after anesthesia induction contributes to hypothermia.
• Effective thermal management is crucial for patient safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of brief limb-focused warming combined with whole-body prewarming.
• To determine if this intervention attenuates redistribution hypothermia during general anesthesia.
• To assess the impact on core and peripheral temperatures and perfusion index.

Main Methods:

• Randomized controlled trial involving 82 adult patients undergoing laparoscopic lower gastrointestinal surgery.
• Intervention group received standard whole-body prewarming plus 5-minute targeted limb warming before anesthesia.
• Control group received standard care. Core and peripheral temperatures were monitored peri-induction.

Main Results:

• The prewarming group maintained a significantly higher median core temperature at 30 minutes post-induction (36.8°C vs. 36.5°C).
• A smaller decline in core temperature from baseline was observed in the intervention group.
• Higher peripheral temperatures were also recorded in the prewarming group.

Conclusions:

• Brief, nurse-led limb-focused warming added to prewarming is an efficient method for perioperative thermal protection.
• This intervention effectively attenuates redistribution hypothermia.
• The approach is practical and does not delay anesthesia induction.