Comparison of three rewarming methods in a postanesthesia care unit

Postoperative hypothermia is problematic because patients in postanesthesia care units (PACUs) often feel very cold, and unrecognized or prolonged postoperative hypothermia can aggravate patients' underlying cardiovascular disorders. The researchers compared three methods of rewarming PACU patients who had undergone laparotomy procedures. Patients were assigned randomly to three groups. Each patient in group one received the standard PACU rewarming intervention (ie, two warmed thermal blankets and a hospital bedspread). Each patient in group two received the standard PACU rewarming intervention plus a reflective blanket. Each patient in group three received the standard PACU rewarming intervention plus a reflective blanket and a reflective head covering. Nurses measured patients' vital signs on admission to the PACU and every 15 minutes thereafter until patients' sublingual temperatures reached 36 degrees C (96.8 degrees F). No significant temperature differences occurred among patients in the three groups, but an inverse relationship existed between patients' PACU admission temperatures and the time they required to reach normothermia.