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Perioperative hypothermia independent of wound complications

Based on the results of a chart review, researchers determined mild perioperative hypothermia appeared to be unrelated to wound complications.

Using the medical charts of 1,062 patients who underwent complex plastic surgery at four facilities, the researchers collected postoperative complication data for outcomes, including infection, delayed wound healing, seroma, hematoma, deep venous thrombosis and overall wound problems. The researchers defined hypothermia as a temperature at or below 36° C. Three multivariate logistic regression models of hypothermia and one model of body-contouring procedures that included prewarming as a parameter were used to estimate odds ratios. Mean follow-up time was 6 months.

Eight hundred twenty patients were found to be hypothermic, with a mean perioperative body temperature of 35.6° C. All patients received perioperative warming, similar rates of hypothermia were seen at each of the facilities studied.

There were no significant differences in outcomes between hypothermic and normothermic patients for any characteristic aside from gender, hypertension status or cancer status, according to researchers.

Overall, perioperative hypothermia was not a significant predictor of composite wound problems. Use of the stratified regression model showed hypothermia had no significant impact on wound problems. Additionally, the researchers found the regression model that measured interaction between hypothermia and operating time also did not demonstrate a significant increase in wound problems.

Perioperative hypothermia was not significantly affected by prewarming. The researchers also found that, when using prewarming as a categorical variable for the model of body-contouring procedures, 73% of patients with prewarming became hypothermic and 69% without prewarming became hypothermic.

The most important indicator for patient complications was found to be massive weight loss; prewarming did not significantly impact outcomes. – by Abigail Sutton

Disclosure: The authors have no relevant financial disclosures.