Purpose
To compare the clinical efficacy of warmed irrigation fluid and room-temperature fluid
in decreasing perioperative hypothermia during arthroscopic rotator cuff surgery.
Methods
In this prospective, randomized, comparative study, warmed (36°C) arthroscopic irrigation
fluid (group W, n = 36) or room-temperature irrigation fluid (group RT, n = 36) was
used without intraoperative warming devices during arthroscopic shoulder surgery in
72 patients. The serial core body temperature and the last and lowest core body temperatures
were measured by use of an esophageal stethoscope with a thermometer and a digital
tympanic thermometer at 15-minute intervals during the operation and recovery period,
respectively. When patients arrived in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) after surgery,
they were warmed immediately and monitored thereafter for body temperature and development
of hypothermia-related adverse effects such as postoperative shivering and cardiac
events. We evaluated the changes in the patients' weight and prothrombin time on postoperative
day 1 and the hemoglobin level and visual analog scale pain score immediately after
the operation and on postoperative day 1.
Results
The 2 groups did not differ in demographic and surgical data and incidence of intraoperative
hypothermia (33 of 36 [91.6%] in group RT and 34 of 36 [94.4%] in group W, P = .276). The core body temperatures decreased throughout the surgery and increased
linearly in the PACU, without any intergroup differences (P > .05). All patients were normothermic within 1 hour of arrival in the PACU. The
2 groups did not differ in postoperative weight change, prothrombin time, hemoglobin
level, or postoperative visual analog scale pain score (all P > .05). Postoperative shivering occurred in 3 patients and 1 patient in group RT
and group W, respectively. No cardiac events occurred in either group.
Conclusions
Warmed irrigation fluid was not superior to room-temperature irrigation fluid in reducing
the occurrence of perioperative hypothermia during arthroscopic shoulder surgery.
Level of Evidence
Level I, randomized controlled trial.
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
November 18,
2013
Received:
June 5,
2013
Footnotes
The authors report that they have no conflicts of interest in the authorship and publication of this article.
Identification
Copyright
© 2014 Arthroscopy Association of North America. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
