The effect of forced-air warming blanket positioning during spinal surgery on intraoperative body temperature

Abstract

Intraoperative hypothermia is a common complication experienced in nearly all surgical patients, as general anaesthesia inhibits the body’s thermoregulation. Intraoperative hypothermia increases the patient’s risk for postoperative complications such as coagulopathy, surgical site infections and cardiac events. The most effective intraoperative warming system used is forced-air warming blankets. Limited evidence is available on the effect of forced-air warming blankets on the intraoperative body temperature during spinal surgery.

Spinal surgery is performed on patients positioned in the prone position on a specialised spinal table. As the spinal table is an open frame and a greater skin surface area of the patient is exposed to the cold theatre environment, more body temperature is lost. Two forced-air warming blanket options are most commonly used during spinal surgery; the surgical access forced-air warming blanket and the full underbody forced-air warming blanket.

The research design was a quantitative, prospective, randomised, comparative experimental design. Data collections were done during real-time procedures. The study was conducted in a single setting where four Orthopaedic surgeons perform spinal surgery using the spinal table. Convenience sampling from the population was conducted, and the spinal surgery patients (n=60) who satisfied the inclusion criteria and participated in the study were randomised into two groups. Data were collected using a structured data collection sheet. The data were analysed using General Linear Model: Multivariate test, Pillai’s trace statistical tests.

Results showed that the full underbody forced-air warming blanket had higher overall intraoperative temperature readings when compared to the surgical access forced-air warming blanket. It is recommended that when spinal surgeries are performed when using the spinal table (Jackson table), the full underbody forced-air warming blanket is more effective in maintaining the intraoperative core temperature.