Investigation of forced convectional surgery blankets by means of thermal and flow characteristics

Thermoregulation is a process that allows our bodies to maintain core core temperature. All thermoregulation mechanisms are designed to return our body to a state of homeostasis. One of the moments when thermoregulation breaks down in the living body is the moment of surgical intervention. Under the influence of the anesthetic drugs used during the surgical intervention performed under general anesthesia, the patient's body temperature decreases and peripheral vasodilation (vasodilation with the relaxation of the smooth muscle in the vessel wall) is observed. Therefore, temperature control of the body during surgery is a very important issue. In this study, operating room blankets, which are used as a precaution against the risk of the patient's body temperature falling during surgery, are discussed in many ways. Spot welding method, which is a textile processing method, was used in the study. Within the scope of the study, the blankets with hot air coming out of their holes were examined in terms of system pressure and air outlet velocity. Instead of experimenting on real patients, an aluminum plate assembly set up in the laboratory, heated from the bottom under constant temperature conditions, was used. In the second stage, although values such as pressure and velocity were measured with the setup, heat transfer calculations could not be made accurately. For this reason, some calculations were made using the ANSYS-CFX package program. While the calculations were made, the case of different geometries of the holes was also compared. In the third stage, several different models of the blankets, which are not perforated but contain only hot air and are covered partially or completely on the patient in a slightly puffy way due to this hot air, were tested on the plate assembly and compared in terms of energy consumption. Finally, different models of blankets on the same plate assembly were tested this time in terms of the temperature they cause on the surface. As a result of the study, it was concluded that there are clinically significant differences between forced air heated blankets and other types of blankets