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Bair Paws wrap patients in comfort throughout surgeryKeeping a patient’s temperature in the normal range at 96 degrees Fahrenheit is a goal for every patient who has surgery at NUMC. Doing so not only makes a patient feel more comfortable, it also decreases the incidence of post-operative wound infection and has been shown to shorten a patients recovery from anesthetic medications as well as their hospital stay. “We’ve always used warmed cotton blankets to keep patients comfortable before and after surgery. But, the heat from the warmed blankets dissipates quickly” said Carolyn Varland, RN, a Clinical Coordinator in the Same Day Surgery department. “A Bair Paws warming unit is applied to each patient going to surgery as a way to ensure the patient’s temperature stays in the normal range. It also puts the temperature control in the patient’s hands and frees up nursing staff to take care of other things.” New Ulm Medical Center introduced the Bair Paws Warming System in November 2006 and the response from patients and staff alike has been extremely positive. There are two parts to the warming system: the warming gown and the electrical warming unit. The warming unit blows warm air through a hose that connects to the Bair Paws gown. The Bair Paws gown fits like a traditional cotton patient gown, but unlike a traditional patient gown, it also has hose ports on the shoulder and at the bottom of the gown where the warming unit connects. After it is turned on, air flows into the gown through tiny holes in the gown’s air channels. The patient is given a controller by which they can adjust the temperature to their own comfort level. “We have received many positive comments from our patients since we’ve implemented this system,” Varland said. “Not only do they appreciate the warming system itself, but they appreciate that their concerns about feeling cold are being heard and their needs are being met.” Varland said staff is seeing clinical proof of the warming system’s benefits. “We don’t see the low body temperatures that we used to,” Varland said. This means patients are spending less time in recovery – and they are more comfortable while they are there. Varland said that some people may become a little too attached to the luxury of the warming units though. “We’ve even had some people ask if they can take the warming unit home with them,” she laughed. |
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New Ulm Medical Center
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