Abstract
Trauma patients with accidental hypothermia have adverse outcomes when compared with normothermic patients. Studies with a small number of mild hypothermic volunteers suggested that convective warming is more effective than warming with 12 volt resistive heating blankets. In a laboratory study, we compared the warming effectiveness of two electric blankets and convective air warming. The average ...
Abstract
Trauma patients with accidental hypothermia have adverse outcomes when compared with normothermic patients. Studies with a small number of mild hypothermic volunteers suggested that convective warming is more effective than warming with 12 volt resistive heating blankets. In a laboratory study, we compared the warming effectiveness of two electric blankets and convective air warming. The average speed of convective rewarming during anaesthesia in patients is approximately 0.6 degrees C per hour. Accordingly, calibration of the dummy was performed with increasing amounts of water during convective warming until we reached a temperature gain of 0.6 degrees C per hour. The following warming experiments were performed: 12 volt electric warming blanket (SH6012, Hella); 12 volt electric warming blanket (Thermamed, whole-body blanket); convective air warming (Warm Touch, Mallinckrodt, whole-body blanket). Each experiment was repeated four times. The temperature development was measured and recorded online. Convective warming increased the dummy temperature 0.6 degrees C per hour, Thermamed 0.3 degrees C per hour (P < 0.001 versus convective warming) and two Hella blankets 0.2 degrees C per hour (P < 0.001 versus convective warming). Our laboratory investigation confirmed the superiority of convective warming over resistive heating. Efforts should be made to incorporate convective warming into the out-of-hospital treatment of trauma patients. European Journal of Emergency Medicine 11:151-153 (C) 2004 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
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