Inadvertent Perioperative Hypothermia.  In: Joanna Briggs JBI+Connect, Feb 17, 2011.
Evidence summary on effectiveness of various interventions for preventing hypothermia in patients undergoing surgery. Cites evidence-based guideline (National Collaborating Centre for Nursing and Supportive Care. Clinical practice guideline: the management of inadvertent perioperative hypothermia in adults. April 2008) for evidence that suggests warming patients in the preoperative period may reduce risk for inadvertent perioperative hypothermia. See guideline for specific evidence; Fig. 9 (p. 149) summarizes evidence from two observational studies documenting effect of preoperative temperature on incidence of hypothermia.

CINAHL search on preoperative and warming and (postoperative temperature OR hypothermia)
Search results include several quasi-experimental studies evaluating change in post-operative rates of hypothermia after implementing preoperative warming including:

• Preprocedure warming maintains normothermia throughout the perioperative period: a quality improvement project.  Hooven K; Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing, 2011 Feb; 26 (1): 9-14S
• A preoperative forced-air warming protocol to maintain postoperative normothermia… ASPAN National Conference.  Sedei J; Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing, 2010 Jun; 25 (3): 198
• The Effects of Forced Air Warming in Preventing Post-Operative Hypothermia.  Ochampaugh, Barbara U.; Glenning, Carol; Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing, 2011 Jun; 26 (3): 201

PubMed search: preoperative AND warming identified
Torossian A. Thermal management during anaesthesia and thermoregulation standards for the prevention of inadvertent perioperative hypothermia. Best Pract Res Clin Anaesthesiol. 2008 Dec;22(4):659-68.
Reviews the literature’s findings on all current methods both passive and active and attempts to institute management guidelines for thermal management.

Reviewed by John Nemeth 4/14