Reducing or eliminating postoperative surgical site infection is an ongoing challenge to health care professionals. Infection following surgery constitutes up to 38% of nocosomial infections. Avoiding intraoperative hypothermia is thought to be an important to overall survival, especially in trauma patients. To improve the quality of care, SCIP protocol mandates the recording of intraoperative temperature and the use of forced air warming systems when patients are at risk for hypothermia.
A recent study by Seamon MJ, et al, (Ann Surg. 2012 Apr;255(4):789-95.) attempted to determine the impact of intraoperative temperatures on the incidence of surgical site infections in patients with abdominal trauma. Patients were supine on warm water blankets and forced air warmers were applied to upper and lower extremities. Antibiotics were administered per protocol. A total of 524 patients were included in the study, most were young males who had received either gunshot or stab wounds. Temperatures were closely monitored and patients were tracked for the development of postoperative infection.
The authors found that increased surgical site infection was correlated with hypothermia with a critical body temperature being 35 degrees C. The authors recommend that intraoperative normothermia should be strictly maintained in trauma patients.
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