JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Hypothermia, defined as a core body temperature below 36°C, is a common postoperative complication associated with adverse outcomes such as delayed wound healing, infections, and increased bleeding.

Objective:

This randomized controlled trial evaluated the efficacy of different forced-air warming system temperature settings in treating postoperative hypothermia in the Postanesthetic Care Unit (PACU).

Methods:

A total of 132 elective surgery patients at Ramathibodi Hospital (April 2023–May 2024) were randomized into three groups: Group C (warming set to 38°C), Group F1 (42°C), and Group F2 (42°C, reduced to 38°C after achieving 36°C). Tympanic temperature was recorded at 5-minute intervals during rewarming and every 10 minutes after normothermia (≥36°C) was achieved. The primary outcome was rewarming time, while secondary outcomes included the incidence of temperature drops, hemodynamic parameters, adverse events, and patient comfort scores

Results:

Baseline characteristics and clinical variables, including vital signs, were comparable among groups (P > .05). Group F2 achieved the shortest mean rewarming time (33.30 ± 13.81 minutes), though differences between groups were not statistically significant (P = 0.460) Group F2 had the lowest incidence of temperature drops below 36°C after normothermia (2.27%; P = .009). Group C had the highest incidence of rewarming exceeding 1 hour (22.73%; P = .017).

Conclusions:

While rewarming times were similar across groups, the protocol using an initial setting of 42°C followed by a reduction to 38°C (Group F2) effectively minimized temperature drops after normothermia, suggesting its superiority for managing postoperative hypothermia in the PACU. Clinical Trial: Thaiclinicaltrials.org Registration number TCTR20231012004 https://www.thaiclinicaltrials.org/show/TCTR20231012004