Another Study Shows the Risks of Using Forced-air Patient Warming

Researchers in the UK published a study in the February, 2012, issue of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery-Br examining the effects of forced-air warming on operating room airflow and surgical site sterility.

Summary:

“Forced-air warming resulted in a significant mean increase in the temperature (1.1°C vs 0.4°C, p<0.0001) and number of particles (1038.2 vs 224.8, p=0.0087) over the surgical site when compared with [HotDog®] warming, which raises concern as bacteria are known to require particles for transport.”