title: A randomised controlled trial of the electric heating pad vs forced-air warming for preventing hypothermia during laparotomy.
abstract: A randomised controlled trial was conducted to compare the efficacy of upper body forced-air warming (Bair Hugger, Augustine Medical model 500/OR, Prairie, MN) with that of an electric heating pad (Operatherm 202, KanMed, Bromma, Sweden) for maintenance of intra-operative body temperature in 60 patients undergoing laparotomy under general anaesthesia. The nasopharyngeal temperature was recorded throughout the operative period. The mean (SD) final temperatures were 36.2 (0.4) degrees C with forced-air warming and 35.5 (1.0) degrees C with electric heating pad (p < 0.01). Upper body forced-air warming is more effective than the heating pad for maintenance of body temperature during laparotomy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesia, United Christian Hospital, China.
authors.forename: K K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Leung
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000388:Air; D000768:Anesthesia, General; D001831:Body Temperature; D005260:Female; D006361:Heating / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007035:Hypothermia / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007430:Intraoperative Care / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D007431:Intraoperative Complications / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007813:Laparotomy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009305:Nasopharynx / Q000502:physiology