Prewarming Parturients for Cesarean Section Does Not Raise Wound Temperature But Body Heat and Level of Comfort: A Randomized Trial.

Purpose: Prewarming before cesarean section lowers the rates of surgical site infections (SSIs). We hypothesized that this effect is explained due to a higher core temperature resulting in a higher wound temperature.

Design: We conducted an open-labeled randomized study with on-term parturients scheduled for elective cesarean section under spinal anesthesia. Participants were randomized into an intervention group (prewarming) and a control group.

Methods: Core and wound temperature, comfort level, and examination results were taken at defined times until discharge from the postanesthesia care unit (PACU). There was a follow-up visit and interview 1 day after the procedure. The primary outcome was a difference in wound temperature. The secondary outcomes were differences in core temperature, patient comfort, blood loss, SSI, and neonatal outcome.

Findings: We randomized a total of 60 patients, 30 per group. Prewarming lead to a significantly higher core temperature. Additionally, patient comfort was significantly higher in the prewarming group even after discharge from PACU. We did not find a difference in wound temperature, SSI, neonatal outcome, or blood loss.

Conclusions: Prewarming before cesarean section under spinal anesthesia maintains core temperature and improves patient comfort but does not affect wound temperature.