FREQUENCY OF POST-OPERATIVE HYPOTHERMIA IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING UROLOGY AND ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY IN THE DEPARTMENT OF ANESTHESIA AT A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL, PESHAWAR

Abstract

Background:

Post-operative hypothermia, defined as a core body temperature below 36 °C, is a frequent complication in surgical patients, leading to increased bleeding, infection risk, delayed recovery, and prolonged hospital stay. Orthopedic and urological surgeries are particularly high-risk due to prolonged operative time and anesthesia-induced thermoregulatory impairment.

Objectives:

To determine the frequency of post-operative hypothermia in patients undergoing urology and orthopedic surgery and to identify perioperative risk factors associated with its occurrence.

Methodology:

A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Anesthesia, Hayatabad Medical Complex, Peshawar, over 4 months. 160 elective surgery patients aged 18–65 years were enrolled using non-probability convenience sampling. Core temperature was recorded preoperatively, intraoperatively, and postoperatively. Data on demographics, ASA status, surgery duration, and intravenous fluids were collected and analyzed using SPSS v25. Associations were tested with Chi-square and t-test/ANOVA; p<0.05 was considered significant.

Results:

Among 160 patients, 63.8% were male and most were aged 31–45 years. Post-operative hypothermia occurred in 34.4% of patients, higher in orthopedic (38.9%) than urology surgeries (28.6%). Significant risk factors included older age, higher ASA status, prolonged surgery ≥2 hours, and IV fluid volume ≥1000 ml. Gender was not significant.

Conclusion:

Post-operative hypothermia remains common. Early identification of high-risk patients and preventive measures such as active warming and optimized fluid management are essential to improve outcomes