Comparative study of the influence of room-temperature and warmed fluid irrigation on body temperature in arthroscopic shoulder surgery.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of irrigation fluid temperature on body temperature and other variables, and to determine their correlations.

METHODS: A prospective randomized study was performed of 50 patients undergoing arthroscopic shoulder surgery who received irrigation fluid either with room temperature or warmed to 37 degrees C to 39 degrees C. Core body temperature was checked at regular intervals, and additional variables, such as length of anesthesia and surgery, amount of irrigation fluid and intravenous fluid used, amount of bleeding, weight gain, and postoperative pain were collected during surgery and postoperatively.

RESULTS: The final core body temperature was 35.5 +/- 0.3 degrees C in the room-temperature fluid group and 36.2 +/- 0.3 degrees C in the warmed fluid group (P < .001). The temperature drop was 0.86 +/- 0.2 degrees C in the room-temperature fluid group and 0.28 +/- 0.2 degrees C in the warmed fluid group (P < .001). Hypothermia occurred in 91.3% of patients in the room-temperature fluid group; the incidence of hypothermia was much lower in the warmed fluid group (17.4%; P < .001). Of the variables measured, the patient's age and amount of irrigation fluid used correlated with core body temperature in the room-temperature fluid group. No variables correlated with core body temperature in the warmed fluid group.

CONCLUSIONS: Hypothermia occurred more often in shoulder arthroscopic surgery with room-temperature fluid irrigation than with warmed fluid irrigation. The patient's age and amount of irrigation fluid used correlate with core body temperature when using room-temperature irrigation fluid. The use of warm irrigation fluid during arthroscopic shoulder surgery decreases perioperative hypothermia, especially in elderly patients.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level I, therapeutic randomized controlled trial.