Hypothermia Prevention with Thermoflect^®

Hypothermia prevention is better than a cure. That’s why more and more hospitals are using Thermoflect^® Heat Reflective Technology^®, a trusted proactive protocol that’s protected at-risk patients from unplanned hypothermia for over 25 years.

Under normal circumstances, the human body maintains a steady internal (core) temperature ranging from 36.6°C to 37.5°C (97.9°F-99.5°F). HYPOTHERMIA is a core body temperature of less than 36°C (96.8°F). Medical facilities and Emergency Medical Services are constantly battling the clinical implications of hypothermia and its adverse effects on patient recovery, outcomes and the cost of treatment.

1. "'Maintaining intraoperative Normothermia: A Meta Analysis of Outcomes With Costs '' C B Mahoney, J Odum (AANA Journal 67 (April 1999) 155-163)

In the study "Perioperative Normothermia to Reduce the Incidence of Surgical Wound Infection and Shorten Hospitalization" NEJM (Kurz et al), it was indicated that:

• 18 out of 96 hypothermic patients (19%) had Surgical Site Infections
• 6 out of 104 normothermic patients (6%) had Surgical Site Infections

SSIs account for approximately 40% of Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs) among Surgical Patients¹. SSIs account for as much as 16% of all Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs)¹

Hospitals that participated in the Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP) evaluated the benefits of Thermoflect in reducing the negative consequences of hypothermia in surgical patients. SCIP is a national partnership of organizations focused on improving surgical care by significantly reducing surgical complications.

¹ Infection Control Today, March 2003. HAIs and SSIs: National Initiatives Aim to Control These Killers, by Kelly M. Pyrek

Download our whitepaper on Hypothermia

Thermoflect prevents hypothermia by preserving–or banking–a patient's core body temperature. 

Maintaining normothermia delivers significant advantages:

• Improved patient outcomes
• Reduced surgical site infections (SSIs)
• Shorter hospital stays
• Reduced healthcare costs
• More patient comfort

Thermoflect Simply Works.

Thermoflect is a simple solution to hypothermia that utilizes NASA pioneered science instead of electricity. The innovative Thermoflect material reflects a patient's endogenous radiant heat, banking it in the body's core, while preventing convective heat loss (wind chill). The material is lined with a soft, patient-friendly inner surface.

• Thermoflect products are cost-effective, ultra-lightweight yet durable, and move easily with the patient throughout the perioperative journey.
• Thermoflect is so trusted, it has become a part of the US Military's Hypothermia Prevention Protocol.
• Thermoflect has proven effective in a variety of applications, including healthcare, EMS and survival gear. 

Thermoflect addresses the primary mechanisms of heat loss by:

1. Reflecting the body's radiant heat
2. Preventing convective heat loss

Convection and radiation account for 90% of all patient heat loss in the operating room.¹ 

RADIATION is direct loss of heat energy via the invisible infrared wavelength range. In the human body, it is the largest source of heat loss, accounting for about 65% of the total loss.

CONVECTION is heat loss due to circulation of the surrounding air currents and explains the so-called "wind-chill factor." Convection accounts for 25% of body heat loss. The high air exchange rate in most operating rooms increases the loss of heat through convection.

Using Thermoflect^® is as easy as 1, 2, 3!

Optimum hypothermia prevention must begin while the patient is warm before entry into the OR Suite (Bank the Heat to Beat the Chill).

1. Cover the patient as early as possible.
2. Cover the patient's maximum body surface area–tucking the material around the patient to help seal in the heat.
3. Maintain maximum coverage throughout all perioperative phases–PREOP, INTRAOP and PACU.
   
   

¹ Gyn Physiology, Leigh Simpson, MD. University of Tennessee, Resident Didactic Series. November 11, 2004.  http://www.utmem.edu/ obgyn/res_pres/Gyn%20Physiology.ppt.

Watch the Thermoflect^® Video:

Click: info@thermoflect.com

Call: 800.826.4490