Hypothermia

Risk and consequences of hypothermia

Hypothermia is a common, and recognised, side effect of surgery, and can occur before, during and after surgery, leading to:

• Increased risk of medical complications, including cardiac events and bleeding, with greater risk of morbidity¹
• Increased risk of surgical site infection¹
• Further treatment and prolonged hospital stays which means greater cost¹
• Increased discomfort and anxiety for patients¹

The economic consequences of hypotermia

Patients with mild hypothermia have three times as many surgical wound infections as normothermic patients. Patients will develop an SSI, leading to both treatment costs and prolonged hospital stay. A conservative cost estimate per SSI is £2,391/€2,650.²
With proper peri-operative warming, SSIs can be reduced by 25%-30% and potentially generate savings for a hospital.² 

Our solution(s): Easy and effective patient warming