Postoperative Hypothermia

The importance of body temperature management has been emphasized during the perioperative period. The three major common complaints of patients recovering from surgery and anesthesia are surgical site pain, nausea and vomiting due to various medications (anesthetics, opioids, antibiotics, etc.), and shivering due to hypothermia. Regulation of body temperature is managed by physical and neuronal mechanisms that balance heat production and loss. During anesthesia and surgery, hypothermia occurs mainly because of a combination of anesthesia-induced impairment of thermoregulatory control, a cool operating room environment, and surgical factors that promote excessive heat loss. Hypothermia is associated with many adverse effects [1], such as increased cardiovascular complications [2], blood loss and transfusion requirements, perioperative hemorrhage [3], and infection rate [4]. Hypothermia also can alter drug metabolism [5], prolong stay in the post-anesthetic care unit or intensive care unit (ICU), decrease patient comfort and satisfaction, and increase cost.