New ECRI Guidance Expresses “Concern” About Forced-Air Warming in Implant Surgery

In the latest issue of Health Devices, ECRI Institute analyzed the safety of forced-air patient warming, concluding that thermal currents are “particularly worrisome” in implant surgery. Dr. Scott Augustine, inventor of both Bair Hugger and (air-free) HotDog patient warming and CEO of Augustine Temperature Management, comments.

Minneapolis, MN (PRWeb), April 17, 2013 -  After reviewing multiple published, peer-review articles addressing the consequences of the convection currents created by the waste heat produced by forced-air devices, ECRI stated:

• “The disruption of air-flow patterns is particularly worrisome in laminar-flow and ultraclean ORs, in which a wide variety of implant surgeries are performed.”
• “This is especially concerning during orthopedic surgeries because contamination of the surgical site may present a greater risk of developing a PJI, which is harder to treat and resolve than would be the case with SSIs in general.”

Video Evidence of the Vortex Caused by the Radiant Waste Heat from FAW Blankets

The video clip below is an excerpt from a nurse education course.  It shows the vortex-effect caused by the radiant waste heat from forced-air patient warming (FAW) blankets, similar to what was recently studied and published by orthopedic surgeons A.J. Legg and A.J.Hamer.

The Legg and Hamer study, published in the Bone & Joint Journal in March 2013, is different than the four previous studies examining the unintended consequence of FAW.  Studies by Belani, Dasari, McGovern and a previous study by Legg all showed the mass effect of waste heat forming thermals under the drapes and rising from the floor to the surgical field.  The latest study is unique because it shows that the radiant heat travels through the drapes, interacts with the downward flow of air from the ceiling ventilation, and forms vortices that suck contaminated air from the floor.  Legg and Hamer discovered 2,000x more contaminant particles at the surgical site when FAW was used than when air-free HotDog patient warming was used.

This is especially concerning in orthopedic surgery, where airborne contaminants can cause devastating deep-joint infections.

As you’re watching the short video clip, notice the tight-spinning vortex captured by orthopedic surgeons in Northumbria, UK, towards the end.