The role of warmed intravenous fluid on intraoperative hypothermia and postoperative shivering during prolonged oral and maxillofacial surgery

Background: Under general anaesthesia, the core temperature may drop up to 6°C. Patients undergoing prolonged maxillofacial surgery frequently experience unintentional hypothermia that causes postanaesthetic shivering which is a common complication of anaesthesia that should be prevented. This study aimed to evaluate the role of warmed intravenous fluid in preventing intraoperative hypothermia and postoperative shivering. Methods: Between January 2022 and December 2022, 322 patients with American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I, II and the age group of 18 to 45 years old scheduled for elective major oral and maxillofacial surgery were evaluated under the Department of Anaesthesiology in Dhaka Dental College and Hospital. The patients were grouped into Room Temperature Group and Warmed Fluid Group. Results: 162 patients received warmed fluid, whereas 160 patients received fluid at room temperature. In Room Temperature Group, there were 89 male and 71 female patients, whereas Warmed Fluid group had 88 male and 74 female patients. At the end of the procedure, the basal core temperature was 36.7±0.2°C in the group receiving warmed fluid versus 35.9±0.2°C in the group receiving fluid at room temperature. The incidence of hypothermia (<36 °C) was much lower in Warmed Fluid Group (n=28, 17.28%) than Room Temperature Group (n=86, 53.75%). Shivering was more common in Room Temperature Group (n = 67, 41.86%) than in Warmed Fluid Group (n = 19, 11.73%) in the postanaesthetic care unit (PACU). Conclusions: The results of this study suggested that intraoperative hypothermia and postoperative shivering are less common when warmed fluid is infused.