Warming of intravenous fluids prevents hypothermia during off-pump coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

OBJECTIVE

Even mild perioperative hypothermia (34 degrees -36 degrees C) can cause numerous adverse outcomes, including morbid cardiac events, coagulopathy with increased blood loss, and a decreased resistance to surgical wound infection. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of fluid warming on preventing hypothermia during off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB) surgery.

DESIGN

A prospective randomized clinical study.

SETTING

A tertiary care university hospital.

PARTICIPANTS

Forty patients undergoing OPCAB procedures.

INTERVENTIONS

Patients were randomized into control (n = 20) and Hotline (n = 20) groups. In the Hotline group, all intravenous fluids were warmed to 41 degrees C by using 2 Hotline (SIMS Inc, Rockland, MD) systems. All patients (control and Hotline groups) were managed with standardized institutional practice by using a combination of increased ambient operating room temperature (to 25 degrees C) and the use of a warmed water mattress (38 degrees C).

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Temperatures were recorded every hour after the induction of anesthesia at the pulmonary artery, nasopharynx, rectum, and bladder. In the Hotline group, temperatures were maintained or increased. In the control group, temperatures gradually decreased. There were no significant differences between the 2 groups in hemodynamic parameters, serum catecholamine concentrations, duration of intensive care unit stay, or duration of ward stay.

CONCLUSIONS

The results show that the warming of intravenous fluids by using the Hotline system prevents decreases in systemic temperatures during OPCAB surgery.