The intraoperative use of warming blankets in patients undergoing radical prostatectomy is related with a reduction in post-anesthetic recovery time

Anesthesia and the surgeries cause substantial thermal changes, and hypothermia can lead to cardiovascular complications, clotting disorders, immunologic changes, and disruption of water and electrolyte balances, besides decreasing drug metabolism and, therefore, increasing post-anesthetic recovery time (PART). Circulation of warm air (forced-air warming blanket) is the most effective non-invasive warming method currently available. The objective of the present study was to compare the time spent in the recovery room of patients undergoing radical prostatectomy with and without the intraoperative use of a forced-air warming blanket. Male patients between 45 and 75 years, ASA PS I, II, and III undergoing radical prostatectomy under general anesthesia during 2004 were studied. Data gathered included: age, weight, physical status, anesthetic technique, use of warming blanket, and time spent in the recovery room. The data was recorded on an Excel chart and analyzed by the Mann-Whitney test. Patients in whom the warming blanket was used intraoperatively remained a mean of 139.66 +/- 58.6 minutes in the recovery room, while patients without the warming blanket spent a mean of 208.28 +/- 65.8 minutes in the recovery room (p < 0.0001). We concluded that the intraoperative use of the warming blanket in patients undergoing radical prostatectomy was associated with a significant reduction in the time patients spent in the recovery room.