Effect of preheating on the maintenance of body temperature in surgical patients: a randomized clinical trial.

Objective: to evaluate the effect of preheating on the maintenance of body temperature of patients submitted to elective gynecological surgeries.

Method: eighty-six patients were randomized, without blinding, to receive usual care (heating with a cotton sheet and blanket) or preheating with a forced air system for 20 minutes (38°C). All patients were actively heated during the intraoperative period.