Passive Warming using a Heat-Band versus a Resistive Heating Blanket for the Prevention of Inadvertent Perioperative Hypothermia during Laparotomy for Gynaecological Surgery

Inadvertent perioperative hypothermia (IPH) is a common problem, despite advancements in a variety of warming systems. The use of a resistive heating blanket (RHB) is a common but costly approach to patient warming. We have introduced the use of a heat-band in our centre as a cost-effective alternative to the RHB for patient warming. The efficacy of the heat-band in preventing IPH during laparotomy for gynaecological surgeries was compared with that of the RHB.