Guidelines in Practice: Patient Temperature Management

During surgery, patient normothermia can become compromised, leading to hypothermia or hyperthermia. Inadvertent perioperative hypothermia occurs when a patient's core body temperature unexpectedly drops to less than 36 °C (96.8 °F). Some patients are also susceptible to malignant hyperthermia (MH)-an inherited, life-threatening disorder triggered by patient exposure to a volatile inhalational anesthetic or succinylcholine. The AORN "Guideline for patient temperature management" provides perioperative nurses with evidence-based guidance for preventing, managing, and responding to both inadvertent perioperative hypothermia and MH. This article provides an overview of the guideline and discusses recommendations for developing a patient temperature management plan, performing patient assessment and monitoring, using active warming and passive insulation methods, and preventing MH. It also includes a scenario illustrating the use of guideline recommendations when providing patient care. Perioperative nurses should review the guideline in its entirety and apply the recommendations when managing patient temperatures.