AANA journal course. Update for nurse anesthetists. A common sense approach to hypothermia

Hypothermia frequently is considered inadvertent in the perioperative setting. The preservation of vital body heat has been an issue since the 1800s. This article provides a select review of the causes of hypothermia and the methods for prevention of hypothermia during the perioperative period. Providing patients with an environment designed to foster normothermia can preclude the costs of longer hospital stays, prevent morbid conditions associated with hypothermia, and provide patients with a more comfortable perioperative experience. Our goal as perioperative healthcare providers is a normothermic perioperative experience for all patients.