are more likely to suffer cardiac arrhythmias, ischemia and arrest.
Their immune systems are impaired, putting them at increased risk
of post-op infection. They're less likely to be satisfied with the care
they receive and might not be ready for timely discharges.
There's no question active warming should be an important part
of your efforts to ensure core body temperatures don't dip below
36°C before, during or after surgery, and it should begin as soon as
patients shed their street clothes.
Warming in action
In our busy hospital, patients start their surgical journey in pre-op
bays, where nurses place IVs, check vital signs and perform clinical
assessments. Patients are then moved to a surgical holding area
adjacent to the ORs until it's time for surgery. Previously, we
wrapped patients in warmed cotton blankets in the pre-op area and
only began active warming measures in the holding area.
The decision to initiate active warming in pre-op and continue
applying the methods straight through to PACU actually began as a
lean strategy aimed at reducing the significant laundry expense our
hospital incurred from washing cotton patient gowns and the
countless cotton blankets we used to warm patients throughout
their stay. (Quick tip: If you're unaware of the number of blankets
your staff goes through to keep patients warm and comfortable,
hang a dated spreadsheet next to your blanket warming cabinet and
ask staff to make a tick mark every time they grab a blanket. The
number of blankets they use might be eye-opening.)
We replaced cotton gowns and blankets with disposable forced-
air warming gowns, which patients slip on in pre-op and wear
straight through to discharge. That option works best for us, but
there are several effective active warming methods from which to
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