Essay On Preoperative Hypothermia

Perioperative Hypothermia Maintaining normal core body temperature (normothermia) in patients within perioperative environments is both a challenging and important aspect to ensure patient safety, comfort and positive surgical outcomes (Tanner, 2011; Wu, 2013; Lynch, Dixon & Leary, 2010). Normorthermia is defined as temperatures from 36C to 38C, and is maintained through thermoregulation which is the balance between heat loss and heat gain (Paulikas, 2008). When normothermia is not maintained within the perioperative environments, and the patient’s core body temperature drops below 36C, they are at risk of developing various adverse consequences due to perioperative hypothermia (Wagner, 2010). Perioperative hypothermia is classified into three

This essay will discuss the risks for patients during the preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative stages of the perioperative journey and how both patients and healthcare professionals involved in the perioperative stages can work together to prevent perioperative hypothermia.

There are numerous risks for a patient during the preoperative stage of the perioperative journey. All patients undergoing a surgical procedure are at risk of developing perioperative hypothermia, although there are various factors which also further increase an individual’s susceptibility (Burger & Fitzpatrick, 2009). An individual’s body type can cause them more susceptible to heat loss during the perioperative period. The patient’s nutritional state and being malnourished, if the individual is female and is of low body weight therefore a high ratio of body surface area to weight and limited insulation to prevent heat loss, these are all factors which negatively affect heat loss and therefore increasing the individual’s risk of perioperative hypothermia (Lynch et al.,