Mark Silver
The Importance of Maintaining
Normothermia During Surgical
Procedures
SchoolWestlake High School • Westlake, Ohio
ProgramNursing Internship
MentorKristine Adams, BSN
DepartmentNursing Research, Fairview Hospital
- Research
- The Importance of Maintaining Normothermia During Surgical Procedures
- Hypothesis
- Anesthesia is used to put patients under during surgery so procedures may be performed. However, while under, patients have limited ability to compensate for their dropping body temperature. Pain can be one of the many results of hypothermia after a surgical procedure. Other complications include increased wound infection and delayed healing. Hospitals initiate warming protocols to keep patients normothermic. It was hypothesized that patients who maintain a normothermic body temperature (37.0°C, +/- .2°C) during operative procedures have decreased pain levels as reported by a pain scale of 0 to 10.
- Methodology
- This research project was a retrospective chart evaluation for 2007-2008. Data collected included the patient’s age, weight, pre-, intra, and postoperative temperatures and pre-, intra, and postoperative pain scores.
- Outcomes
- Statistical analysis is still pending but the raw data show that patients without the Bair Paws warming system had an increased amount of pain from their preoperative assessment. The temperature throughout their procedures also decreased more and remained lower throughout the procedure. Because of this, it is theorized that pain is in fact related to temperature, though further study is needed.
Interpretations
Constantly 98.6 by Emily Rabatsky
Normothermia by Courtney Sennish
Cold Bones by Courtney Cox
Prognosis? by Cory Juba
