Homoeothermic:

It is important to maintain the core body temperature at or above 36ºC (homoeothermic). Homoeothermic is defined as a pattern of temperature regulation in which the variation in core temperature is maintained at 37ºC in spite of large changes in ambient temperature. This requires peripheral and central monitoring of body temperature and specific responses such as sweating, shivering, vasodilatation or vasoconstriction and non-shivering thermo genesis.

(Pre)warming:

Prevention of intra and postoperative hypothermia is an important factor in improving patients outcome after surgery. Warming should start before general or regional anaesthesia is induced. Even a short period of prewarming may significantly increase peripheral tissue temperature, minimise normal core-to-peripheral temperature gradient and keep core temperature within normal limits. Most patients arrive at a holding area before transported to the operating theatre. In this holding area the patients bodytemperature should be monitored.

Methods:

In order to increase patients body temperature passive or active heating devices can be used. However, most of the commonly available active heating devices are effective but inflexible and expensive, most of the passive devices, such as hot water bottles and warm blankets, are flexible and ‘cheap’ but poor performers.