Leg warming minimizes core hypothermia during abdominal surgery

Area of Science:

• Anesthesiology
• Surgical Patient Care
• Thermoregulation

Background:

• Hypothermia is a common complication during abdominal surgery.
• Preventing perioperative hypothermia is crucial for patient outcomes.
• Existing warming methods vary in efficacy and application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of leg skin warming in preventing hypothermia.
• To compare different forced-air warming techniques during abdominal surgery.
• To assess the incidence of shivering in patients undergoing abdominal surgery.

Main Methods:

• Two prospective, randomized trials were conducted.
• Patients were assigned to control (no warming), electric blanket warming, or forced-air warming (with or without insulation).
• Core and skin temperatures were monitored, and body heat content changes were calculated.

Main Results:

• Electric blanket warming significantly increased core temperature compared to controls (36.4°C vs 34.6°C).
• Forced-air warming (Bair Hugger) and insulated forced-air warming also significantly improved core temperatures.
• Shivering incidence was significantly reduced in all active warming groups compared to the control group.

Conclusions:

• Leg skin warming is sufficient to prevent heat loss during abdominal surgery.
• Active warming methods, including leg skin warming, effectively reduce hypothermia and shivering.
• Insulated forced-air warming demonstrated the highest core temperatures among the tested methods.