Intraoperative temperature regulation in children using a liquid-warming garment.

Abstract

Children undergoing operative intervention while induced under general anesthesia are at risk for experiencing a significant decrease in core body temperature that can lead to adverse systemic effects. Given that the head contributes an estimated 18% of a child's body surface area, we theorized that a liquid-warming garment applied to the head could control a pediatric patient's core body temperature during surgical procedures. Patients undergoing elective, non-cranial, general surgical procedures were enrolled in the study. A head garment with an embedded network of tubing was placed on the patient. The garment connected to a computer-controlled water bath that managed the temperature of the water in the tubing through a feedback mechanism. Ten patients with ages ranging from 1day to 3years (mean age 10.5months) were enrolled in this study. The average procedure length was 82.5min. The mean core body temperature throughout the procedure for all-comers was 36.5±0.9°C with an overall mean difference in maximum and minimum temperatures of 1.32±1.1°C. A liquid-warming garment applied to the head of pediatric surgical patients is an innovative and relatively low-cost means to regulate and to maintain the ideal core body temperature of patients undergoing surgical procedures.