Modeling iatrogenic intraoperative hyperthermia from external warming in children: A pooled analysis from two prospective observational studies

Abstract

Abstract

Background Maintenance of normothermia is an important quality metric in pediatric anesthesia. While inadvertent hypothermia is effectively prevented by forced‐air warming, this therapeutic approach can lead to iatrogenic hyperthermia in young children.

Aims To estimate the influence of external warming by forced air on the development of intraoperative hyperthermia in anesthetized children aged 6 years or younger.

Methods We pooled data from two previous clinical studies. Primary outcome was the course of core temperature over time analyzed by a quadratic regression model. Secondary outcomes were the incidence of hyperthermia (body core temperature >38°C), the probability of hyperthermia over the duration of warming in relation to age and surface‐area‐to‐weight ratio, respectively, analyzed by multiple logistic regression models. The influence of baseline temperature on hyperthermia was estimated using a Cox proportional hazards model.

Results Two hundred children (55 female) with a median age of 2.1 [1st–3rd quartile 1–4.2] years were analyzed. Mean temperature increased by 0.43°C after 1 h, 0.64°C after 2 h, and reached a peak of 0.66°C at 147 min. Overall, 33 children were hyperthermic at at least one measurement point. The odds ratios of hyperthermia were 1.14 (95%‐CI: 1.07–1.22) or 1.13 (95%‐CI: 1.06–1.21) for every 10 min of warming therapy in a model with age or surface‐area‐to weight ratio (ceteris paribus), respectively. Odds ratio was 1.33 (95%‐CI: 1.07–1.71) for a decrease of 1 year in age and 1.63 (95%‐CI: 0.93–2.83) for an increase of 0.01 in the surface‐to‐weight‐area ratio (ceteris paribus). An increase of 0.1°C in baseline temperature increased the hazard of becoming hyperthermic by a factor of 1.33 (95%‐CI: 1.23–1.43).

Conclusions In children, external warming by forced‐air needs to be closely monitored and adjusted in a timely manner to avoid iatrogenic hyperthermia especially during long procedures, in young age, higher surface‐area‐to‐weight ratio, and higher baseline temperature.