Air-Free | Better Warming | Cost Effective
HotDog Warms Significantly Faster than Forced-Air
Better Patient Warming & Clinical Effectiveness
Conductive fabric warming (HotDog) showed significantly better patient warming rates than forced-air warming (FAW) (0.35˚C/hr vs 0.01˚C/hr), when all other relevant variables were held constant in a prospective, randomized controlled trial. The temperature difference between the two groups was statistically significant at each data point after 30 minutes.
The authors’ conclusion: “We conclude from these data that the clinical heat transfer effectiveness of [HotDog warming] is significantly greater than FAW convection. This is due to the combination of conductive heat transfer and the larger surface area of simultaneously heating from above and below the patient.”
In multiple trials, HotDog has shown a 96.2% normothermia rate.
Forced-Air Leaves Patients Cold
Evaluating core temperatures in 58,814 adults having surgery lasting >60 min, Cleveland Clinic research reveals that forced-air warming systems frequently fail to prevent hypothermia:
- The incidence of hypothermia 2 hrs after induction was nearly 50%1.
- “Intraoperative hypothermia was common, and often prolonged”
The Cleveland Clinic research confirms research published in 2014 in the Journal of Arthroplasty, revealing that a “disturbingly high” 26.9% of patients undergoing total hip or knee replacement remained hypothermic at the conclusion of surgery despite being warmed with Bair Hugger.* 3.7x more periprosthetic infections occurred in the cases where Bair Hugger failed2.
Better Patient Warming Improves Outcomes and Reduces Costs
Redistribution
Anesthesia causes vasodilation and a free-flow of core blood to the peripheral compartments. The patient’s overall temperature drops 1.6°C in the first 30 min following induction.
Pre-Warming (Dashed Line)
The only way to reduce redistribution hypothermia is by pre-warming, specifically pre-warming the legs. HotDog can effectively pre-warm patients to reduce hypothermia.
Poikilothermic
Under anesthesia, the patient becomes poikilothermic (temperature varies with environment). Rate of re-warming depends on the delta between active warming and heat loss from conduction, convection, radiation, and evaporation.
HotDog Meets the Challenge
The HotDog Patient Warming system is versatile and adaptable, able to meet all of your patient warming needs. Consider using HotDog for these challenging cases to really experience the difference with better warming:
- Large Heat-Loss Abdominal Cases
- Full Front Prep (i.e. Cardiac)
- Wet Case (i.e. Plastics)
- Steep Trendelenburg Positioning
- Avoiding Implant Infections
Warming Saves Lives
Hypothermia causes many complications:
- More wound infections
- Increased blood loss
- Longer ICU times and hospital stays
- Higher mortality rates
- Larger transfusion requirements
“Even mildly hypothermic patients could suffer an increase in adverse outcomes that can add costs of as much as $2,500–7,000 per patient.”