A patient temperature audit within a theatre recovery unit

Hypothermia in the postoperative recovery phase can be a source of potential danger for patients emerging from anaesthesia. In spite of the vast amount of literature dealing with principles of care in the recovery room, information regarding the incidence of hypothermia appear very limited. This article presents a patient temperature audit to assess whether patients were being discharged from a theatre recovery unit hypothermic. In addition, patient temperatures were recorded both pre- and postoperatively, as well as on discharge from recovery, to monitor the incidence of hypothermia throughout the theatre suite. The results show that patients were being discharged with core body temperatures ranging from 34.8 to 38 degrees C with no incidence of hypothermia recorded when the operating room temperature was above 23 degrees C. In general, the coldest theatres were orthopaedic, with this group of patients showing the most incidence of hypothermia. This article aims to demonstrate the use of clinical audit to investigate and evaluate current practice.