Preoperative Factors Affecting the Intraoperative Core Body Temperature in Abdominal Surgery Under General Anesthesia

PURPOSE The study was conducted to identify preoperative factors affecting the intraoperative core body temperature in abdominal surgery under general anesthesia. DESIGN This study was performed through prospective descriptive research design. SETTING The setting was a 1300-bed university hospital in Incheon, South Korea. SAMPLES The sample consisted of 147 patients who had undergone elective abdominal surgery under general anesthesia. METHODS Age, weight, and height were collected on a preoperative visit to general unit, and body mass index, body surface area, and total body fat were calculated. The basal preoperative core body temperature (CBT), preoperative blood pressure, and heart rate were measured. Core body temperature was again measured at 1, 2, and 3 hours following general anesthesia. RESULTS Predictive factors of intraoperative hypothermia of less than 36°C were preoperative CBT (β = .44), weight (β = .41), preoperative heart rate (β = .20), and age (β = -.13) at 1 hour after anesthesia (R = 0.658, F = 68.3, P < .001); preoperative CBT (β = .33), weight (β = .37), preoperative heart rate (β = .22), and age (β = -.24) at 2 hours after anesthesia (R = 0.631, F = 60.8, P < .001); and age (β = -.34), weight (β = .36), preoperative CBT (β = .30), and preoperative heart rate (β = .20) at 3 hours after anesthesia (R = 0.665, F = 70.6, P < .001). CONCLUSION Low preoperative body temperature and low weight seem to be risk factors of intraoperative hypothermia during 2 hours after anesthesia and advanced age and low weight at 3 hours following anesthesia. IMPLICATIONS We recommend prewarming and intraoperative warming through forced air warming devices and covering a patient with a warm blanket during transportation. This procedure is necessary for the abdominal surgical patients of advanced age with low weight and duration of general anesthesia to last more than 1 hour.