Which measure helps prevent intraoperative hypothermia?

• A. Administer warmed IV fluids
• B. Increase ambient room temperature only
• C. Use cold irrigation fluids
• D. Delay warming until after surgery

Answer: (A)

Warming the IV fluids directly adds heat to the circulating blood, helping to maintain core body temperature during surgery. Under anesthesia, the body's defenses against cooling are blunted, and heat is lost rapidly through exposure, evaporative losses, and infusions of cold fluids. When IV fluids are warmed to near body temperature before administration, the amount of heat carried into the patient with each infusion is preserved instead of being pulled away as cold fluid. Because large volumes may be given quickly, this single measure has a meaningful impact on preventing intraoperative hypothermia and works well in conjunction with other warming strategies like warmed blankets or humidified gases.

Raising the room temperature helps but is not as effective by itself, since the patient still experiences heat loss through radiation, convection, and irrigation or IV infusions. Using cold irrigation fluids actively promotes cooling, and delaying warming until after surgery misses the opportunity to protect the patient’s core temperature throughout the procedure.