FawFacts: The facts about forced-air warming
Understand the importance of patient warming and get peace of mind by exploring the evidence-based facts about forced-air warming.
The importance of patient warming
Normothermia’s relationship to surgical site infections (SSIs) has garnered special attention in recent years, with numerous evidence-based initiatives, like ERAS, citing normothermia maintenance as a tool in SSI reduction efforts. Maintaining normothermia is one of the easiest, least expensive and most effective benefits you can offer to patients.
An editorial published in Anesthesia and Analgesia stated that, “Maintaining normothermia is usually easy… furthermore, the most commonly used warming systems are remarkably safe. There are few, if any, anesthetic interventions that have been proven to so markedly improve the outcome of surgery with so little effort, risk and cost…”¹
Choosing the best warming method
Keeping patients warm throughout the perioperative process is integral to providing optimal clinical care and patient comfort. With one simple step, you can make a big difference.
The choice of warming method depends on several factors — many of which are specific to the surgical procedure; however, some types of warming methods do not work effectively in all phases of perioperative care. Forced-air warming is one method which can be used throughout the perioperative journey.
When evaluating a forced-air warming system, it is important to evaluate available clinical research while also considering product-specific features like delivering consistent, even patient warming; ensuring optimized airflow through air channels; and offering useful features like head drapes, tie strips or drainage holes for managing fluids. These attributes can help streamline the surgical workflow for clinicians.
3M™ Bair Hugger™ Warming System
The Bair Hugger Warming System is the most used and studied method of surgical warming in the country, with its clinical benefits, efficacy and safety well documented in more than 170 studies and more than 60 randomized controlled clinical trials.
In fact, the Bair Hugger Warming System is the preferred patient warming device of U.S. healthcare facilities (and 8 of the top 10 orthopedic hospitals2) and is supported by numerous healthcare organizations. Bair Hugger Warming therapy is the original forced-air warming system, and has become an indispensable component in the care of surgical patients, providing safe and effective warming therapy to patients across the globe.
Fact check: Forced-air warming not linked to infection risk or disruption in laminar airflow
Some manufacturers of conductive warming technologies have suggested that Bair Hugger Warming System may increase the risk of wound infection or operating room contamination. In fact, research shows the opposite.
When tested in actual surgical conditions, research shows that forced-air warming does not increase the bacterial count at the surgical site.3,5,9 Tests also have demonstrated that airflow from the Bair Hugger Warming System has no significant effect on operating room airflow.6,7 Additional research has shown there is no disruption of laminar airflow tied to the use of forced-air warmers.7,8
3M Bair Hugger Warming System videos
Request your copy of the Bair Hugger System Research Compendium
Researchers and independent bodies have studied the use of forced-air warming technologies in patient settings for many years. The Bair Hugger System Research Compendium is a collection of more than 200 articles summarizing how forced-air warming supports patient care. Learn more about what rigorous, reliable science says about forced-air warming in patient settings.
Disclaimer
- Hannenberg, A. Sessler, D. Improving Perioperative Temperature Management (editorial). Anesthesia & Analgesia. Nov. 2008: 107(5) 1454-1457.
- U.S. News & World Report, Best Hospitals 2020-2021.
- Zink RS, Iaizzo PA. Conductive warming therapy does not increase the risk of wound contamination in the operating room. Anesth Analg 1993;76:50-3.
- Huang JK, Shah EF, Vinodkumar N, Hegarty MA, Greatorex RA. The Bair Hugger patient warming system in prolonged vascular surgery: an infection risk? Crit Care 2003;7:R13–R16.
- Moretti B, Larocca AM, et al. Active warming systems to maintain perioperative normothermia in hip replacement surgery: a therapeutic aid or a vector of infection? J Hospital Infect 2009; 73:58–63.
- Memarzadeh F, Active warming systems to maintain perioperative normothermia in hip replacement surgery. J Hosp Infect. 2010; doi:10.1016/j.jhin.2010.02.006.
- Sessler DI, Olmsted RN, Kuelpmann R. Forced-Air Warming Does Not Worsen Air Quality in Laminar Flow Operating Rooms. Anesth Analg.113 (6): 1416-1421. 2011.
- Olmsted RN, Kulpmann R, Schlautmann B. Effect of Forced-Air Warming on Operating Theatre Air Quality: assessment using submicron particle release, Hospital Infection Society, 2010.
- Oguz, Ruken, et al. "Airborne bacterial contamination during orthopedic surgery: a randomized controlled pilot trial." Journal of Clinical Anesthesia 38 (2017): 160-164.
- Abraham, J. P., B. D. Plourde, and L. J. Vallez. "Comprehensive review and study of the buoyant air flow within positive-pressure hospital operating rooms." Numerical Heat Transfer, Part A: Applications 72.1 (2017): 1-20.
- Abdelaziz, Hussein, Mustafa Citak, Andrew Fleischman, Ismet Gavrankapetanovic, Yutaka Inaba, Gabriel Makar, Stavros G. Memtsoudis, and Ellen M. Soffin. 2019. "General Assembly, Prevention, Operating Room - Anesthesia Matters: Proceeding of International Consensus on Orthopedic Infections." Journal of Arthroplasty S93-S95.