The comparison of two recovery room warming methods for hypothermia patients who had undergone spinal surgery.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the time needed to reach a specified temperature and the efficiency of two warming methods-warm cotton blankets and a radiant warmer-for hypothermia patients in a postanesthetic care unit (PACU) after spinal surgery.

Design: This study was conducted according to a quasi-experimental design. Data were collected from a medical referral center in northern Taiwan. A total of 130 post-spinal surgery patients with hypothermia were recruited in the study.

Methods: Of the 130 patients in the PACU, 65 were warmed by the radiant warmer (group R); whereas the other 65 patients were warmed by warm cotton blankets (group B). Tympanic temperature was measured for each patient every 10 min until it reached 36 °C in the PACU. Analysis of covariance and generalized estimating equation regression analysis were performed to compare the time needed to reach a specified temperature and the efficiency of the two warming methods, respectively.

Findings: Both groups were similar in their baseline characteristics. After adjusting for temperature upon arrival at the PACU, group R needed a significantly shorter time for rewarming to 36 °C than group B (F [1, 125]= 58.17, p < .001). The results of the generalized estimating equation also showed that the radiant warmer was more efficient than warm cotton blankets in increasing patients' body temperatures to 36 °C (χ2 = 37.44, p < .001). None of the patients appeared to have wound infections, and there were no differences in the length of hospital stay or medical costs for current hospitalization in both groups.

Conclusions: Using the radiant warmer may be a more efficient method than providing warm cotton blankets for warming post-spinal surgery hypothermia patients in the PACU.

Clinical Relevance: For hospitals that are unable to use forced-air warming to warm postsurgical hypothermia patients in the PACU, the radiant warmer is a more efficient device to rewarm patients.