I
n an effort to standardize how we warm patients, we tested 3
warming options on more than 800 patients at our hospital-affili-
ated surgery center: forced air, heat reflective technology and
warmed cotton blankets. Rather than let our anesthesia
providers decide which method was the most effective and eco-
nomical choice to prevent hypothermia, we wanted to put the warm-
ing methods to the test. The results might surprise you.
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O U T P A T 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 | A U G U S T 2 0 1 5
Patient Warming Pays Off
Our real-world research attempted to identify the most
effective and economical option in hypothermia prevention.
Edie Patterson, BSN, RN, CNOR | Knoxville, Tenn.
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN
z ONE STEP UP Forced-air warming is often the preferred
choice in preventing unintentional hypothermia.
