The results of this study suggest that preoperative warming can reduce rates of SSI after surgery .
OBJECTIVE To determine whether preoperative warming can reduce the risk of surgical site infection ( SSI ) after surgery .
BACKGROUND Intraoperative hypothermia is a risk factor for the occurrence of  SSI in patients after surgery .
However , the effectiveness of preoperative warming in reducing the incidence of the condition remains unclear .
Effect of prewarming on post-induction core temperature and the incidence of inadvertent perioperative hypothermia in patients undergoing general anaesthesia.
BACKGROUND Inadvertent perioperative hypothermia ( IPH ) occurs in many patients because warming techniques are insufficient to counteract thermal redistribution result ing from the ablation of thermoregulatory vasoconstriction associated with anaesthesia . We tested the efficiency of a preoperative forced-air warming ( FAW ) device ( Bair Paws ) in preventing IPH . METHODS Sixty-eight adult patients undergoing spinal surgery under general anaesthesia were r and omized to receive either normal care or prewarming for 60 min , at 38 degrees C , using the Bair Paws system . All patients received routine FAW intraoperatively . RESULTS Thirty-one patients were prewarmed and 37 patients were in the control group . There was a 0.3 degrees C smaller decrease in mean core temperature in the prewarmed group at 40 , 60 , and 80 min post-induction ( P < or = 0.05 ) . Temperature was maintained above the hypothermic threshold of 36 degrees C in 21 ( 68 % ) patients in the prewarmed group , compared with 16 ( 43 % ) patients in the control group ( P<0.05 ) . CONCLUSIONS Preoperative warming using the Bair Paws system results in smaller decreases in core temperature intraoperatively and less IPH in patients undergoing spinal surgery under general anaesthesia
The results of this study suggest that preoperative warming can reduce rates of SSI after surgery .
OBJECTIVE To determine whether preoperative warming can reduce the risk of surgical site infection ( SSI ) after surgery .
BACKGROUND Intraoperative hypothermia is a risk factor for the occurrence of  SSI in patients after surgery .
However , the effectiveness of preoperative warming in reducing the incidence of the condition remains unclear .