The Effect of Thermal Blanket Applied to the Area After Peripheral Artery Surgery on Circulation, Pain and Mobilization

Peripheral arterial disease is one of the most common clinical conditions associated with cardiovascular morbidity and increased mortality, requiring exercise, antiaggregant and surgical revascularization therapy. As in peripheral arterial surgery, postoperative hypothermia is common in patients who have undergone surgical intervention and the duration of surgery is longer than 30 minutes due to the low temperature of the surgical environment or the suppression of the thermoregulation center by anesthetics and sedatives. With hypothermia, heat loss increases,peripheral vasoconstriction with activation of the sympathetic system, impaired perfusion at the surgical wound site, hypoxemia, coagulopathy, bleeding, postoperative pain, deterioration of thermal comfort, deterioration of patient comfort and prolonged hospital stay are reported. Many heating methods are used to achieve and maintain normal body temperature in the postoperative period, to prevent complications caused by hypothermia.Aluminum-coated thermal blankets are especially preferred. In this way, heat preservation, peripheral vasodilation and perfusion with the effect of temperature, reduction of muscle spasm with increased endorphin release, less pain, and increased comfort of the patient are provided. The thermal blanket is an easy-to-apply material that does not require any tools or electricity for its effectiveness and can come into direct contact with the patient's skin. It provides thermal insulation with its ability to reflect thermal radiation. Peripheral vasodilation and decreased peripheral vascular resistance have been observed with thermal therapy provided by thermal blankets. It is known that thermal blanket methods are used to warm patients in practice. However, the lack of a literature study on the regional effect of these applications on the patient has been noticed. For this purpose, in this study, the regional efficacy of thermal blankets on the patient was evaluated in order to reduce the narrowed arterial lumen and increased peripheral vascular resistance in peripheral arterial diseases and to prevent the vasoconstrictive effect of hypothermia on peripheral vessels. It was predicted that these blankets would maintain heat, increase tissue perfusion with peripheral vasodilation effect, facilitate circulation, reduce pain and facilitate mobilization.In line with this aim, the objectives are;

• To increase peripheral tissue perfusion and decrease neurovascular damage by using thermal blankets for heating after peripheral arterial surgery.
• To reduce the degree of surgical wound site and ischemic pain by using thermal blankets for warming after peripheral arterial surgery.
• To increase the patient's postoperative mobility and mobilization by using thermal blankets in peripheral artery postoperative warming.
• To contribute to the control of pain, neurovascular follow-up and reduction of damage and mobilization, which are the main nursing goals after surgery.
• To increase the comfort of the patient by utilizing the heat insulation and flexible effect of thermal blankets, thus providing an easy-to-apply, effective care in terms of nursing and increasing the quality of health care service.

Research Design This study is a randomized controlled trial to determine the effect of a thermal blanket applied to the area after peripheral arterial surgery on the patient's circulation, pain and mobilization.