Management of Perioperative Hypothermia Through Revised Clinical Guidelines and Education of Anesthesia Providers

Book excerpt: " Perioperative hypothermia is a prevalent phenomenon that decreases the quality of care for adult surgical patients under anesthesia. Negative outcomes secondary to perioperative hypothermia include surgical site infections, adverse cardiovascular events, and impaired coagulation that causes bleeding. A thorough literature review revealed evidence-based temperature management strategies such as forced-air warming that can be used to prevent and alleviate the occurrence of perioperative hypothermia. An evidence-based practice (EBP) project that incorporated education and creation of evidence-based temperature management guidelines to direct anesthesia providers' care was developed. Certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) and other anesthesia providers were recruited as participants in the project because they are in a prime position to mitigate the effects of perioperative hypothermia. Online education was conducted, and performance observation auditing was done to ensure adherence to best practices regarding temperature management. The EBP project ultimately yielded successful outcomes including 100% compliance with EBP warming methods to prevent perioperative hypothermia and achievement of the temperature management quality benchmark. Achievement of these outcomes demonstrates the ability to effectively minimize perioperative hypothermia in the adult surgical patient population. Key words: perioperative hypothermia, anesthesia, forced-air warmers, warming, temperature management, certified registered nurse anesthetist, CRNA. " -- Abstract