Preoperative Hypothermia



Preoperative Hypothermia

Introduction

Hypothermia is a situation by which the temperature of the body drops to sustain normal metabolism. It happens mainly when an individual is exposed to cold and the internal mechanisms are unable to renew the heat being lost when a decrease in core temperature occurs (Wong et al, 421-426). As body temperature drops, conditions such as tremors and mental confusion occurs. This fact is used in medical practice, when applying artificial local or general hypothermia.

The paper aims to discuss the dimensions of hypothermia, its implications, symptoms, associated diseases as well as treatment and prevention methods. In addition, it analysis the concept of preoperative warming as a medium in minimizing the effect of redistribution hypothermia by plummeting the temperature differences between patient's core temperature and peripheral temperature

Discussion

Hypothermia is opposite of high temperature which is present in heat exhaustion and heat stroke. It is divided into four different grades; light, moderate, sharp, and deep. This is in contrast to high temperature and fever referring to rectal temperature of the largest. Other cold-related wounds that can be provided either alone or in amalgamation with hypothermia include:

Pre Operative Warming

There is widespread clinical evidence of benefits of patient warming for prevention of hypothermia. These studies have been performed over a wide area covering the surgery, anesthesia, recovery room, emergency, pre-operative, patient transport, etc. The benefits are clearly demonstrable, such improved morbidity, mortality rates of infection, recovery time, incidence on pressure ulcers, hospital stays and significant cost savings (Burkhard, 342-358). The thermoregulatory system is affected from the onset of anesthesia with a further decline in temperature during the initial period. This makes hypothermia is a real possibility, even for interventions of short duration. Similarly, trauma and other situations, emergency often lead to a rapid fall in body temperature. There is little dispute that prevention with regards to hypothermia leads to better outcomes for the patient and savings for the hospital. It has also been stated that the maintenance of normothermia is much better than the subsequent heating of patient. The practice and extensive use will necessarily lead to warming and reconsider the need for changing practice protocols clinic in all areas where there is a risk of hypothermia.

Under anesthetic conditions, the heat balance of the patient by the domestic production is reduced which is possibly determined by an external heat supply and the environment mainly due to high convective and losses due to radiation. 60% of the heat loss is caused by heat radiation, which is proportional to the temperature difference between the skin surface and the surrounding space walls. The air flow in the operating room leads to the continuous exchange of the body surrounding warm to cold air. This mechanism of convection can be traced back a further 15% heat loss. In addition to the 12% of respiratory evaporative heat direct heat loss through the skin, representing on average only 10% of the total loss. However, they are highly dependent on the size of the surgical wound (Turnbull et al, ...