controlling postoperative hypothermia

Maintaining normothermia for patients undergoing surgery is important for positive surgical outcomes as well as patient safety, satisfaction, and quality of life. Maintaining normothermia before, during, after surgery shortens hospital stay durations up to 40% and decreases the risk of surgical-site infections up to 64%. Abnormalities in the thermal insulation mechanism during surgery and anesthesia lead to increased heat loss, hampering the maintenance of normal body temperature. Passive/active external insulation, heating systems, and internal heating methods are used to prevent heat loss and to maintain normal body temperature of patients. Active heating methods include the use of one or more the following principles: heat transmission, radiation, and convection. Passive heating methods are those intended for conserving patients’ body temperature. These methods, which include the use surgical dressings, swimming caps, socks, sheets, metallizing plastic sheeting, blankets, piques will protect patients from factors in the external environment. The heat gained in passive heating is directly proportional to the amount of body surface covered. Previous studies have focused on the use of blankets. Some studies have used cotton blankets to study patients’ body temperature changes. A floor-heated cotton blanket prevents 33% of heat loss and the use of a two-fold cotton blanket reduces the additional 18% heat loss and has been reported to provide more benefits. However, passive heating methods with cotton blankets can only prevent body temperature loss and cannot increase the body temperature; hence, it is recommended that they be used in conjunction with active heating methods. This study reviews the literature regarding the prevention of postoperative hypothermia.