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J U LY 2 0 1 4 | S U P P L E M E N T T O O U T P AT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E
P
erioperative patient warming is typically viewed through the lens
of surgical quality measures, infection prevention efforts or even
patient satisfaction scores. Less frequently discussed is the role
that patients' core temperatures play in anesthesia effects and
PACU stays. Let's review the reasons why maintaining normother-
mia is critical to successful ambulatory anesthesia.
Where the risks lie
Hypothermia carries many risks through the potentially hazardous physiological
changes it triggers, including the following conditions:
• Increased oxygen demand.
Shivering increases the body's demand for oxygen
by 300%. A patient who is shivering after a case may experience blood oxygen
Why
Warming
Matters
Patient normothermia is a key concern
for successful anesthesia outcomes.
Gary Lawson, MD | Fort Myers, Fla.
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN
HEAD OF THE TABLE Anesthesia's gases, oxygen and IV fluids
play significant roles in cooling a patient's core temperature.
P A T I E N T M A N A G E M E N T
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