Anesth Analg 2009; 108:199-201
© 2009 International Anesthesia Research Society
doi: 10.1213/ane.0b013e31818e6199
TECHNOLOGY, COMPUTING, AND SIMULATION
The Efficacy of a Resistive Heating Under-Patient Blanket Versus a Forced-Air Warming System: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Andrea Fanelli, MD,
Giorgio Danelli, MD,
Daniela Ghisi, MD,
Andrea Ortu, MD,
Elisa Moschini, MD, and
Guido Fanelli, MD
From the Department of Anesthesia, Intensive Care and Pain Therapy, University Hospital of Parma, PR, Italy.
Address correspondence and reprint requests to Andrea Fanelli, MD, Department of Anaesthesia, Intensive Care and Pain Therapy, University Hospital of Parma, viale Gramsci 14, 43100 Parma, PR, Italy. Address e-mail to andre-fanelli{at}libero.it.
BACKGROUND: We compared temperature changes in patients undergoing hip replacement during warming with a resistive heating blanket or air-forced system.
METHODS: Fifty-six patients were enrolled. Patients were randomly allocated to the "forced-air group" (forced-air system) or to the "heating-blanket group" (resistive heating under-patient blanket).
RESULTS: Baseline tympanic temperatures were 36.0 ± 0.6°C in the forced-air group and 36.1 ± 0.4°C in the heating-blanket group (P > 0.05). At the end of surgery tympanic temperatures were 35.3 ± 0.5°C in the forced-air group and 35.1 ± 0.6°C in the heating-pad group (P > 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated that, using either a resistive heating-blanket or forced-air warming systems, patients ended surgery in mild hypothermia after elective total hip replacement, but without significant differences between these two warming devices.
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