A Warm Air Blanket is Superior to a Heated Mattress in Preventing Perioperative Hypothermia in Orthopedic Arthroplasties, a Time-Series Analyses.

BACKGROUND

Hypothermia is a common perioperative problem that can lead to severe complications. We evaluated whether a heated mattress (HM) is superior to a warm air blanket (WA) in preventing perioperative hypothermia in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA) or total knee arthroplasty (TKA).

METHODS

A retrospective cohort study was performed in a teaching hospital and data were collected for all patients undergoing THA or TKA between January 1, 2015 and May 1, 2022. We used logistic and linear regressions to analyze hypothermia occurrence and important complications. Results were adjusted for confounders and time, and was present in all subgroups and after imputation of missing data.

RESULTS

In total, 4,683 of 5,497 patients had information on type of heating. We found more perioperative hypothermia in patients treated with an HM compared to a WA for both THA (odds ratio-adjusted 1.42 [1.0 to 1.6] P = .06) and TKA (odds ratio-adjusted 2.10 [1.5 to 3.0] P < .01). There was no difference in postoperative infections between groups (all between 0.5% and 1.3%). Patients who had an HM significantly stayed longer in the postoperative ward (a mean difference of 4 [TKA] to 6 [THA] minutes, P < .01), but there was no difference in hospital stay.

CONCLUSION

A WA is superior compared to an HM in preventing perioperative hypothermia, with no increased risk of complications. Patients who have an HM stayed longer at the postoperative ward, potentially because of higher hypothermia rates. Therefore, it is suggested to use a WA instead of an HM.