Effectiveness of Inflatable Warming Blankets for Preventing Perioperative Hypothermia in Children: A Meta-Analysis.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of inflatable heating blankets compared to noninflatable insulation methods in preventing perioperative hypothermia in children through a meta-analysis.

Methods: A systematic search of PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Embase, Nursing Database (CINAHL), China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database (CNKI), VIP Chinese Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP), Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), Wanfang Database were conducted for studies published up to December 2023. Eligible studies were independently screened and appraised by two reviewers. Data were extracted and pooled using RevMan 5.4 for meta-analysis.

Results: Seven studies comprising 417 pediatric patients from three countries were included. Meta-analysis showed that inflatable heating blankets significantly improved intraoperative core body temperature compared to noninflatable methods (SMD = 1.79, 95% CI: 1.19-2.39, p < 0.01; moderate-certainty evidence), and significantly shortened postoperative recovery time (SMD = -1.66, 95% CI: -2.80 to -0.53, p < 0.01; moderate-certainty evidence). The incidence of hypothermia appeared lower in the inflatable group (RR = 0.10, 95% CI: 0.03-0.36, p = 0.24), but this difference was not statistically significant and is supported by low-certainty evidence due to imprecision and risk of bias. Similarly, the reduction in postoperative shivering (RR = 0.15, 95% CI: 0.04-0.55, p = 0.26) showed a favorable trend but was also based on low-certainty evidence.

Conclusion: This meta-analysis suggests that inflatable heating blankets are more effective than noninflatable insulation methods in maintaining intraoperative normothermia and reducing postoperative recovery time in pediatric surgical patients. Although trends toward lower rates of hypothermia and shivering were observed, these differences were not statistically significant and should be interpreted with caution.