Comparison between forced-air and air-free warming on perioperative hypothermia in patients undergoing elective surgery

Abstract

To the Editor: Hypothermia is described as a state in which the core temperature of a patient is decreased to equal to or <36°, which is a common and severe complication among patients undergoing elective surgery. [1] Studies reported that hypothermia is associated with an increased risk of several adverse events including postoperative shivering, surgical site infection, increased blood loss, and a longer length of hospitalization. [2] Active warming for >30 min during the surgical procedure has been found to reduce the risk of perioperative hypothermia. Thus, more and more attention has been paid to how effectively prevent perioperative hypothermia, and many intraoperative active warming strategies have therefore been applied in clinical practice, such as forced-air warming technology, prewarming technology before anesthesia, resistive-polymer system, circulating water mattresses, and self-warming blanket.