What is the recommended approach to handling patient warming and hypothermia risk during surgery?

• A. Do not warm the patient; maintain room temperature only.
• B. Rely on warming devices but do not monitor core temperature.
• C. Use warming devices (blankets/Forced-air) and monitor core temperature to maintain normothermia and prevent overheating.
• D. Warm the patient only after anesthesia induction.

Answer: (C)

Maintaining a stable core temperature during surgery requires proactive warming and continuous temperature monitoring. Anesthesia disrupts the body's ability to regulate heat, and the operating room is typically cool, so patients can become hypothermic quickly. Actively warming the patient with devices like forced-air blankets or circulating-water blankets and warming IV fluids helps keep the core temperature within a normal range. At the same time, monitoring core temperature—using a probe placed in a clinical location such as the esophagus, nasopharynx, bladder, or arterial line—lets you see real-time temperature changes and adjust warming to prevent both hypothermia and overheating. This combined approach reduces complications like blood loss, wound infection, and shivering, and supports faster recovery. Pre-warming before induction can further reduce the initial temperature drop.