Perioperative hypothermia and surgical site infections part 2

Abstract

Perioperative hypothermia has been identified as an infection risk factor in human literature, however, literature from veterinary counterparts is conflicting. Registered veterinary nurses (RVNs) should always strive to provide the gold standard of care to their patients including when under anaesthesia and in the operating theatre. This can include looking at available evidence for standards of care, in this instance how best to maintain normothermia during the perioperative period. Part one of this series discussed the studies that show the evidence for perioperative hypothermia and its links to surgical site infections (SSIs). This second part of the series explores various methods available to maintain normothermia in the perioperative stage, looking at their effectiveness and how practical they are to RVNs in practice.