Guidelines in Practice: Patient Temperature Management

ABSTRACT 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.