Authors: Rodriguez-Patarroyo, Fabio A. et al.
Anesthesiology, August 20, 2025. DOI: 10.1097/ALN.0000000000005730
This randomized crossover study compared the performance of five full-body forced-air warming systems in preventing heat loss and improving thermal comfort—a critical component of perioperative temperature management. Although forced-air warming is the most common method to prevent intraoperative hypothermia, comparative data among commercial systems are limited.
Twenty healthy volunteers participated in a controlled environment study, undergoing five separate 30-minute warming sessions with different blower–cover combinations in randomized order. Each session was separated by a 45-minute washout period. Researchers measured heat flux, area-weighted mean skin temperature, and subjective thermal comfort at regular intervals.
All systems produced rapid and effective warming responses. Within five minutes, participants shifted from a net heat loss of 101 ± 53 watts to a net gain of 20 ± 48 watts. Skin temperature increased steadily to approximately 35.5°C within 15 minutes and remained stable throughout the 30-minute session. No statistically or clinically significant differences were observed between systems in heat transfer rate, skin temperature, or comfort.
These results indicate that while technical and design differences exist among forced-air warming devices, their thermal performance under standardized conditions is equivalent. Thus, any of the tested systems are capable of maintaining normothermia and patient comfort during anesthesia when properly applied.
What You Should Know:
All tested forced-air warming systems provided comparable heat transfer and thermal efficacy. Device selection can therefore be based on factors such as availability, cost, and ease of use rather than differences in physiologic performance.
Thank you to Anesthesiology for publishing this practical evaluation that reinforces the effectiveness and interchangeability of modern forced-air warming technologies in perioperative care.