Effects of Thermal Blanket on Patients' Vital Signs, Shivering Level, Chill Status, and Thermal Comfort Perception in the Preoperative and Postoperative Periods.

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the effects of the thermal blanket on patients' vital signs, shivering level, chill status, and thermal comfort perception in preoperative and postoperative periods. The study was designed as a randomized controlled trial and included 44 female patients who had undergone elective gynecological surgery in a hospital in the south of Turkey. The experimental group (n = 22) was warmed using the passive warming method via a thermal blanket, and the control group (n = 22) was administered routine care via a cotton pique. The data collection tools included the "Patient Information Form," the "Patient Follow-Up Form," the "Shivering Level Diagnosis Form," and the "Thermal Comfort Perception Scale." Patients were warmed passively before (at least 10 minutes) and after surgery (at least 60 minutes) with a thermal blanket or cotton pique according to their groups. Patients' vital signs and oxygen saturation were recorded during the preoperative and postoperative periods at 15-minute intervals. The patients' shivering levels were recorded at 15-minute intervals, and chill status and thermal comfort perceptions were recorded at 30-minute intervals during the postoperative period. The data obtained in the research were analyzed using the SPSS 24.0 program. There were no statistically significant differences between the vital signs and oxygen saturation of the intervention and control groups during the first 60 minutes after surgery. The shivering level and coldness of the control group were higher in the postoperative period, but the difference between the groups was not statistically significant. There were no statistical differences between the groups in the time to reach 36.0°C (p > 0.05). Thermal comfort perception scores during the first 90 minutes were significantly higher in the intervention group (p < 0.05). The thermal blanket is not superior to the cotton pique used in standard care in maintaining body temperature, but it is effective in increasing thermal comfort perception.