Yet another peer-reviewed study—the third in the past five months—has been published showing that forced-air patient warming generates convection current activity in the vicinity of the surgical site, which could lead to contamination of the sterile field.
The study, published by Dr. Kiran Dasari in the March issue of Anaesthesia, is more evidence that a significant patient safety issue exists. Surgeries with implanted foreign materials, like hip and knee replacements, could be greatly compromised depending on the type of warming technology used.
