The Efficacy of a Resistive Heating Under-Patient Blanket Versus a Forced-Air Warming System: A Randomized Controlled Trial

In Brief BACKGROUND: We compared temperature changes in patients undergoing hip replacement during warming with a resistive heating blanket or air-forced system. METHODS: Fifty-six patients were enrolled. Patients were randomly allocated to the “forced-air group” (forced-air system) or to the “heating-blanket group” (resistive heating under-patient blanket). RESULTS: Baseline tympanic temperatures were 36.0 ± 0.6°C in the forced-air group and 36.1 ± 0.4°C in the heating-blanket group (P > 0.05). At the end of surgery tympanic temperatures were 35.3 ± 0.5°C in the forced-air group and 35.1 ± 0.6°C in the heating-pad group (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated that, using either a resistive heating-blanket or forced-air warming systems, patients ended surgery in mild hypothermia after elective total hip replacement, but without significant differences between these two warming devices. IMPLICATIONS: Resistive under-patient heating blanket and forced-air warming systems provide similar warming capability in patients undergoing elective total hip replacement. The resistive heating blanket device may offer the advantage of greater positioning flexibility.