[Evaluation of the Hotline perfusion warmer in infants with body weight under 10 kg]

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Anesthesiology
• Surgical Patient Care
• Thermoregulation in Infants

Background:

• Maintaining normothermia is critical during pediatric surgery.
• Infants and neonates are at higher risk of hypothermia due to their body size and metabolic rate.
• Standard warming devices may not always suffice for prolonged or complex pediatric surgeries.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of the Hotline fluid warmer in preventing intraoperative hypothermia in pediatric surgical patients.
• To assess the impact of the fluid warmer on core body temperature changes during surgery.
• To determine if the fluid warmer is effective even at the low perfusion flows typical in infant surgery.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled study was conducted with 42 pediatric patients under 10 kg undergoing surgery.
• All participants received a heating mattress and a heating humidifier.
• Core body temperature changes were compared between a group using the Hotline fluid warmer and a control group.

Main Results:

• Children without the fluid warmer experienced a significantly greater decrease in core temperature (1.1 +/- 1.4°C) compared to those with the warmer (0.1 +/- 0.3°C).
• The fluid warmer demonstrated effectiveness in maintaining core temperature.
• The device's efficiency was evident even under low perfusion flow conditions.

Conclusions:

• The Hotline fluid warmer is an effective tool for preventing hypothermia in pediatric surgical patients.
• Its use is beneficial for maintaining normothermia during lengthy surgeries in infants and neonates.
• The device is recommended for improving thermal management in this vulnerable patient population.