Prevention of Hypothermia by Infusion of Warm Fluid During Abdominal Surgery

Perioperative hypothermia can lead to a number of complications for patients after surgery. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the efficacy of warm fluids in maintaining normal core temperature during the intraoperative period. We studied 30 American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I or II adult patients who required general anesthesia for abdominal surgery. In the control group (n = 15), fluids were infused at room temperature; in the test group (n = 15), fluids were infused at 37 degrees C. In the control group, core temperature decreased to 35.5 +/- 0.3 degrees C during the first 3 hours, and then stabilized at the end of anesthesia. In the test group, core temperature decreased during the first 60 minutes, but increased to 36.9 +/- 0.3 degrees C at the end of anesthesia. In the control group, eight patients shivered at grade >= 2. In the test group, none of the patients reached grade >= 2 (P < .01). Infusion of warm fluid is effective in keeping patients nearly normothermic and preventing postanesthetic shivering. It may provide an easy and effective method for prevention of perioperative hypothermia.