Impact of Expanded Peri Operative Warming for Patients Undergoing Elective Surgery

This study was designed to evaluate a normothermia protocol that includes preoperative warming and standard intra operative temperature management in patients undergoing general surgery. It compares short term outcomes in patients for whom warming is expanded by commencing in the pre operative area and is maintained through post operative recovery versus patients receiving the standard warming at time of induction. Patients were randomly assigned to either a warming blanket device or standard warming procedures. The study tested for differences in the rate of hypothermic events between the two groups. A secondary goal was to test for differences in the complication rate and patient satisfaction between the two groups.

This study is testing the hypothesis that expanded warming significantly reduces rates of hypothermia and complications over standard warming used only during surgery.