Warming Blanket Maintains Surgical Patients' Body Temperature

A poncho-style convective warming blanket helps maintain a patient’s body temperature before, during, and after surgery.

The Snuggle Warm poncho blanket is ideal for pelvic, abdominal, and leg surgery, accommodating both lithotomy and supine positions with the arms extended or tucked. Pre-opened arm and head openings save time and effort when placing the blanket on a patient, and its two hose ports allow flexible placement of the warming unit. Precisely positioned air holes and channel design maximize heat delivery throughout the blanket to keep patients warm and reduce the risk of hot spots. In addition, the blanket can be reversed for warming the front of the patient’s torso, as well as the shoulders and upper back.

Made of soft, flexible, durable material, the Snuggle Warm conforms to patient anatomy without lift-off, eliminating the need to tie down or secure the blanket and providing maximum heat retention and comfort. The material itself is durable, resisting tears, punctures, and fluids. The fabric-like feel is soft and comfortable next to the patient’s skin, and stays in place when folded back for quick and easy patient access. The Snuggle Warm poncho blanket is a product of Smiths Medical (St. Paul, MN, USA), and is intended for use with the Equator convective warmer.

The Equator convective warmer draws ambient- temperature air through a 0.2 micron particulate air filter. The filtered air is warmed to a selected temperature and delivered to the convective warming blanket through the hose, distributed through delivery channels and perforations on the patient side. The convective warmer has three outlet temperature settings: 36 °C, 40 °C, and 44 °C. These temperature settings are servo-controlled by a thermistor placed at the end of hose where the hose connects to the blanket. A fourth temperature setting delivers ambient-temperature air. A control thermistor adjusts the power applied to the heater to maintain the selected temperature.

Unintended Perioperative Hypothermia (UPH) occurs when the body’s temperature falls below 36 °C. Research has shown a correlation between UPH and a higher incidence of adverse events in surgical patients, and patients with even mild UPH are three times more likely to acquire surgical site infections than patients with normothermic temperatures.

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