# Patient warming, what do you do?



## Alleset (Jan 22, 2012)

Is anyone using any active or passive patient heating solutions? Especially if you have one that will stay with the patient from the scene to the OR if needed. I am doing a little research. Thanks.


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## Alleset (Jan 22, 2012)

*Cold weather rural MVA.*

What would you do to help control the patients temp if you were in a very rural area, or involved in a long extrication, where patients loss of core body temp is any issue? Would you simply use a cotton blanket or do you have any portable heating solutions? What other ideas am I missing?


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## DesertMedic66 (Jan 22, 2012)

Only heater, blankets, and warm/hot packs. We aren't set up to infuse warm or cooled IV fluids (although I have heard of some medics wrapping the extra IV tubing around cold and hot packs).


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## Alleset (Jan 22, 2012)

*Sounds familiar*

I have heard of some new portable systems that the military is using. They would be great in an EMS application. Both on the active and passive side of the house.


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## DesertMedic66 (Jan 22, 2012)

We don't really prepare for the cold since the coldest temps we get are like 50 degrees F. We are on the other side of scale with 120+ degrees F.


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## DrParasite (Jan 22, 2012)

cotton blankets are preferred, two if it's really cold.  also an extrication blanket if we are cutting.

I know of some agencies that have wool blankets as well, but they get expensive if they get bodily fluids on them and need to be replaced


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## ffemt8978 (Jan 22, 2012)

Duplicate threads merged.


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## Akulahawk (Jan 22, 2012)

Aside from a pretty good heater in the back, some hot packs, and some rather thin blankets, I had little to work with to prevent heat loss in the patients. I would, however, try to keep the patient area pretty warm and just open/close the doors when absolutely necessary. I'm ok with sweating a bit if my patient stays warm... I asked them a LOT if they were feeling comfortable and wanted it warmer or cooler.


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## Handsome Robb (Jan 23, 2012)

We have heated IV fluids and the tubing gets heated with them as well. You could theoretically leave the bag in the bag heater an slap a pressure infuser on it if you wanted but it doesn't seem necessary.

Hot packs, blankets, our units have awesome heaters, you can get the pt compartment to upwards of 85-90+ even on real cold days.


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## YodaMedic (Mar 1, 2012)

*military warming systems*



Alleset said:


> I have heard of some new portable systems that the military is using. They would be great in an EMS application. Both on the active and passive side of the house.



I have used some of those systems and they arent as great as they are made out to be. the heating systems we had when we deployed werent good for warming a patient and they were extremely expensive the issued equipment was only good for kepping the patient at the current temp.... i have used the NAR Hypothermia Prevention and Management Kit (HPMK)  
. they are nice but still a lil on the expensive side. about 106 dollars a pop and one time use. they worked very well on our patients that we had to med evac out of sector.


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## Tigger (Mar 1, 2012)

The company requires patients get a special burrito wrap with a wool blanket to promote company image. Incidentally the burrito wrap does a good job keeping patients warm if you have large enough blankets. The wool blanket are ours and have our patch sewn on them. We line the insides with a sheet and other blanket to keep them off the patient and they are not used if we think they will get soiled. If someone pukes on it we just bag it up and it gets washed with the base laundry.

The heaters are pretty good too, we don't have hot packs.


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## mycrofft (Mar 1, 2012)

I hate hot packs.
They tend to concentrate the heat (so can burn the pt), they usually produce toxic waste (if they are the type that really work), andy the total BTU is insufficient to make a significant difference in core temp. If the pt is just chilled, it feels good (unless it is burning them AND they have regained enough sensation to feel the burn). 

In the stone ages, we would blanket the person and a bring them into the unit, then REMOVE the blanket if they were still cold to the touch and blow the heater on them. 

Here's an article turned up by googling "parenteral warming":

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FSL/is_4_86/ai_n27434541/

They say, follow the mfg.'s instructions (preoperative warming by saline infusion).

Google results for :   emergency prehospital parenteral warming  were not applicable, all about other things.

Find a manufacturer and ask them.


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