TY - JOUR
T1 - Editorial Commentary
T2 - Just Getting Warmed Up: Risks, Benefits, and Economics of Active Warming Devices
AU - Uggen, Christopher
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 Arthroscopy Association of North America
PY - 2020/2
Y1 - 2020/2
N2 - Efforts to maintain normothermia should be a part of every patient's perioperative care. Risks, benefits, and economic implications should be considered when deciding how to use active warming devices for orthopaedic surgery. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has implemented economic incentives and penalties driving hospitals to invest in active warming devices, including forced-air warmers and resistive heating devices. Even though forced-air warmers and resistive heating blankets are likely to statistically improve patient temperatures, they may not be worth the additional cost for shorter, less invasive, elective arthroscopic surgeries. In addition, recent research demonstrates minimal clinically significant differences between these 2 types of devices. Concern regarding possible increased risk of surgical-site contamination with forced-air warmers warrants further study but, again, is unlikely clinically relevant to arthroscopic cases, and proper staff training and warming equipment routine maintenance could minimize patient risk.
AB - Efforts to maintain normothermia should be a part of every patient's perioperative care. Risks, benefits, and economic implications should be considered when deciding how to use active warming devices for orthopaedic surgery. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has implemented economic incentives and penalties driving hospitals to invest in active warming devices, including forced-air warmers and resistive heating devices. Even though forced-air warmers and resistive heating blankets are likely to statistically improve patient temperatures, they may not be worth the additional cost for shorter, less invasive, elective arthroscopic surgeries. In addition, recent research demonstrates minimal clinically significant differences between these 2 types of devices. Concern regarding possible increased risk of surgical-site contamination with forced-air warmers warrants further study but, again, is unlikely clinically relevant to arthroscopic cases, and proper staff training and warming equipment routine maintenance could minimize patient risk.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.arthro.2019.09.033
DO - 10.1016/j.arthro.2019.09.033
M3 - Editorial
C2 - 32014169
AN - SCOPUS:85078276197
SN - 0749-8063
VL - 36
SP - 353
EP - 354
JO - Arthroscopy - Journal of Arthroscopic and Related Surgery
JF - Arthroscopy - Journal of Arthroscopic and Related Surgery
IS - 2
ER -