Research

The Bair Hugger patient warming system in prolonged vascular surgery: an infection risk?

Joseph KC Huang¹ , Elizabeth F Shah¹, Narayanan Vinodkumar¹, MA Hegarty² and Robert A Greatorex³

¹Surgical Registrar, Department of Surgery, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King's Lynn, UK

²Consultant Pathologist, Department of Microbiology, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King's Lynn, UK

³Consultant Surgeon, Department of Surgery, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King's Lynn, UK

author email corresponding author email

Critical Care 2003, 7:R13-R16doi:10.1186/cc1888

Published:	4 March 2003

Abstract

Introduction

Use of the Bair Hugger forced-air patient warming system during prolonged abdominal vascular surgery may lead to increased bacterial contamination of the surgical field by mobilization of the patient's skin flora.

Methods

This possibility was studied by analyzing bacterial content in air and wound specimens collected during surgery in 16 patients undergoing abdominal vascular prosthetic graft insertion procedure, using the Bair Hugger patient warming system. The bacterial colony counts from the beginning and the end of surgery were compared, and the data analyzed using the Wilcoxon matched pairs test.

Results

The results showed not only that there was no increase in bacterial counts at the study sites, but also that there was a decrease (P < 0.01) in air bacterial content around the patient and in the operating theatre after prolonged use of the patient warmer. No wound or graft infections occurred.

Conclusion

The use of this warming system does not lead to increased bacterial contamination of the operating theatre atmosphere, and it is unlikely to affect the surgical field adversely.