Resistive-Polymer Versus Forced-Air Warming: Comparable Efficacy in Orthopedic Patients

Abstract

RP warming performed as efficiently as FA warming in patients undergoing orthopedic surgery.

Intra‐operative rewarming with Hot Dog® resistive heating and forced‐air heating: a trial of lower‐body warming

“…But since lower-body warming is often clinically required, heating systems should ideally work in both upper-and lower-body modes. Brandt and colleagues found that core and meanskin temperatures were comparable with the Hot Dog system and forced-air in patients having 90-min long extremity surgery [29]. They compared two 'multiposition pads' having a total warming area similar to that provided by an upper-body forced-air cover.…”

Peri‐operative warming devices: performance and clinical application

“…Furthermore, when evaluated against forced-air warming, an early non-clinical investigation with healthy volunteers showed that the heat transfer achieved from resistive heating was significantly greater [92]. However, the superiority of resistive heating over forced-air warming in this non-clinical study has not been reproduced in clinical trials, with the majority showing equivalence [54,55,[93][94][95][96] between devices and three favouring forced-air warming (Tables 3 and 4) [56,57,97].…”

“…This includes patients undergoing general anaesthesia [54,55,[93][94][95] and neuraxial blockade [96]. As heat transfer from resistive warming devices occurs primarily via conduction, the surface area available for warming plays an important role in devices' performance.…”

Diagnosis, prevention and treatment of accidental and perioperative hypothermia

“…If the blower is used without the designated blanket, e.g., by putting the tube under the patient ' s duvet, it can cause severe burns ( " hosing " ) [85,122] . Other intrinsic limitations of forced-air warming are the potentially disturbing noise of the fan and the increased temperature in proximity to the device [10] . Further concerns exist about bacterial contamination of the forced-air system [110] .…”

“…The heat transfer depends mainly on the contact area between blanket and skin, and it is not important if the blanket heats with circulating water [14,36,54] , with resistive carbon fibres [35,64,91] or polymers [10,63] . In all areas, without direct contact between blanket and skin, only radiation contributes to warming.…”