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The Comparison of Two Recovery Room Warming Methods for Hypothermia Patients Who Had Undergone Spinal Surgery
Author(s) -
Yang HsiuLing,
Lee HsiuFang,
Chu TsungLane,
Su YuYun,
Ho LunHui,
Fan JunYu
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of nursing scholarship
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.009
H-Index - 80
eISSN - 1547-5069
pISSN - 1527-6546
DOI - 10.1111/j.1547-5069.2011.01426.x
Subject(s) - pacu , medicine , hypothermia , anesthesia , surgery
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the time needed to reach a specified temperature and the efficiency of two warming methods—warm cotton blankets and a radiant warmer—for hypothermia patients in a postanesthetic care unit (PACU) after spinal surgery. Design: This study was conducted according to a quasi‐experimental design. Data were collected from a medical referral center in northern Taiwan. A total of 130 post–spinal surgery patients with hypothermia were recruited in the study. Methods: Of the 130 patients in the PACU, 65 were warmed by the radiant warmer (group R); whereas the other 65 patients were warmed by warm cotton blankets (group B). Tympanic temperature was measured for each patient every 10 min until it reached 36°C in the PACU. Analysis of covariance and generalized estimating equation regression analysis were performed to compare the time needed to reach a specified temperature and the efficiency of the two warming methods, respectively. Findings: Both groups were similar in their baseline characteristics. After adjusting for temperature upon arrival at the PACU, group R needed a significantly shorter time for rewarming to 36°C than group B (F [1, 125]= 58.17, p < .001). The results of the generalized estimating equation also showed that the radiant warmer was more efficient than warm cotton blankets in increasing patients’ body temperatures to 36°C (χ 2 = 37.44, p < .001). None of the patients appeared to have wound infections, and there were no differences in the length of hospital stay or medical costs for current hospitalization in both groups. Conclusions: Using the radiant warmer may be a more efficient method than providing warm cotton blankets for warming post–spinal surgery hypothermia patients in the PACU. Clinical Relevance: For hospitals that are unable to use forced‐air warming to warm postsurgical hypothermia patients in the PACU, the radiant warmer is a more efficient device to rewarm patients. Journal of Nursing Scholarship , 2011; XX:X, XXX–XXX. ©2011 Sigma Theta Tau International .