The effect of hypothermia on surgical field infection in orthopedic patients with lower extremity surgery

INTRODUCTİON AND OBJECTIVE: The study was conducted in a prospective, randomized and single-blind study design to evaluate the effect of hypothermia on surgical site infection (CAE) in orthopedics patients with lower extremity surgery. MATERİALS AND METHODS: The universe of the research; 304 patients with lower extremity surgery between 25.07.2016 and 28.09.2017 in the orthopedics service of a university hospital; The study group consisted of 100; intervention groups (IG) and 50 control group (CG). Patients; demographic characteristics, surgical field specific information and CAE follow-up forms were followed during hospitalization (usually 1st, 2nd, 3rd day) and after discharge (30th and 90th days). In the analysis of data; Descriptive statistics, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Pearson's chi-square test, Chi-square test and Mann-Whitney U test were used. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients included in the study was 53.27 ± 1.73 years. Age, gender, educational status, risk factors, laboratory findings, and postoperative vital signs were similar between the IG and classical patients with blanket using a special heater and there was no difference between the groups (p> 0.05). Only at postoperative day 0, patients with IG had normal body temperature (36.47 0C), while patients with CGwere hypothermic (35.78 0C) (p <0.05). In both groups, there was no statistical comparison with demographic characteristics and risk factors since CAE did not develop during the three months following discharge. CONCLUSİON: In the literature, it is stated that normothermia can be adjusted in CAE protection. As a result of this study, there was no difference in the CAE between the patients with blanket and body temperature in routine care with the prevention of hypothermia using special heating method. However, on the day of surgery, the patients in the control group had hypothermia, but the intervention group patients did not enter hypothermia. Keywords: Orthopedic surgery, surgical site infection, hypothermia, special heater, risk factors