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A randomised controlled trial of the electric heating pad vs forced‐air warming for preventing hypothermia during laparotomy
Author(s) -
Leung K. K.,
Lai A.,
Wu A.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
anaesthesia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.839
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1365-2044
pISSN - 0003-2409
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2044.2007.05021.x
Subject(s) - medicine , laparotomy , forced air , hypothermia , anesthesia , general anaesthesia , air temperature , surgery , meteorology , mechanical engineering , physics , engineering
Summary A randomised controlled trial was conducted to compare the efficacy of upper body forced‐air warming (Bair Hugger ™ , Augustine Medical model 500/OR, Prairie, MN) with that of an electric heating pad (Operatherm 202, KanMed, Bromma, Sweden) for maintenance of intra‐operative body temperature in 60 patients undergoing laparotomy under general anaesthesia. The nasopharyngeal temperature was recorded throughout the operative period. The mean (SD) final temperatures were 36.2 (0.4) °C with forced‐air warming and 35.5 (1.0) °C with electric heating pad (p < 0.01). Upper body forced‐air warming is more effective than the heating pad for maintenance of body temperature during laparotomy.