Impact of Expanded Peri Operative Warming

This study was designed to evaluate a normothermia protocol that includes preoperative
warming and standard intra operative temperature management in patients undergoing general
surgery. It compares short term outcomes in patients for whom warming is expanded by
commencing in the pre operative area and is maintained through post operative recovery versus
patients receiving the standard warming at time of induction. Patients were randomly assigned
to either a warming blanket device or standard warming procedures. The study tested for
differences in the rate of hypothermic events between the two groups. A secondary goal was to
test for differences in the complication rate and patient satisfaction between the two
groups.

This study is testing the hypothesis that expanded warming significantly reduces rates of
hypothermia and complications over standard warming used only during surgery.

Inclusion Criteria:

- Subjects are adult patients 18 years and older elective surgery of > 1 hour

Exclusion Criteria:

- Emergency and/or trauma cases

- Patients with diminished mental capacity unable to fill out or respond to survey
questions.