Table 2.
Respondents’ current practices on perioperative temperature management
| Survey question | Number | Proportion | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preoperative phase | |||||
| Measure temperature preoperatively in the majority of patients | 531 | 46.0% | |||
| Perform prewarming in the majority of patients | 279 | 24.2% | |||
| Perform prewarming for patients undergoing neuraxial anesthesia | 203 | 17.6% | |||
| Duration of prewarming (n = 330) | Less than 10 min | 148 | 44.8% | ||
| 10 to 20 min | 125 | 37.9% | |||
| 21 to 30 min | 36 | 10.9% | |||
| More than 30 min | 21 | 6.4% | |||
| Intraoperative phase | |||||
| Measure temperature during general anesthesia (n = 1137) | Never 43 | Very rarely 74 | Rarely 253 | 370 | 32.5% |
| Often 363 | Very often 215 | Always 189 | 767 | 67.5% | |
| Measure temperature during neuraxial anesthesia (n = 1137) | Never 242 | Very rarely 192 | Rarely 412 | 846 | 74.4% |
| Often 183 | Very often 60 | Always 48 | 291 | 25.6% | |
| Frequency of intraoperative temperature measurement intraoperatively (n = 843) | Continuously | 678 | 80.4% | ||
| Every < 5 min | 23 | 2.7% | |||
| Every 5–10 min | 20 | 2.4% | |||
| Every 10–30 min | 50 | 5.9% | |||
| Every > 30 min | 72 | 8.5% | |||
| Perform intraoperative active warming in the majority of patients | 508 | 44.0% | |||
| Preferred mode(s) of intraoperative cutaneous warming (select all that apply) (n = 1017) | Passive methods (e.g. Blankets) | 654 | 56.7% | ||
| Convection methods (e.g. forced air warmer) | 790 | 68.5% | |||
| Conduction methods (e.g. water mattress) | 296 | 25.6% | |||
| Radiation methods (e.g. infra-red warming devices) | 94 | 10.9% | |||
| Average temperature in operating rooms for adult surgery | Less than 21.0 °C | 425 | 36.8% | ||
| 21.0—23.0 °C | 488 | 42.3% | |||
| 23.1 to 24.0 °C | 143 | 12.4% | |||
| More than 24.0 °C | 98 | 8.5% | |||
| Postoperative phase | |||||
| Measure temperature postoperatively in the majority of patients | 953 | 82.6% | |||
| Frequency of intraoperative temperature measurement postoperatively (n = 443) | Continuously | 83 | 18.7% | ||
| Every < 5 min | 18 | 4.1% | |||
| Every 5–10 min | 32 | 7.2% | |||
| Every 10–30 min | 82 | 18.5% | |||
| Every > 30 min | 228 | 51.5% | |||
| Perform postoperative active warming in the majority of patients | 486 | 42.1% | |||
n = 1154 for all variables unless otherwise stated. Key perioperative temperature management principles are in bold