Postoperative Hypothermia in Patients Undergoing Major Abdominal Surgery: A Cohort Study

Introduction: Up to 90% of patients undergoing surgery will present hypothermia in the perioperative period. Likewise, no study has reported the occurrence of postoperative hypothermia and variables associated with its occurrence only in patients undergoing major abdominal surgery. Objective: To describe the proportion of patients undergoing major abdominal surgery who develop postoperative hypothermia, and the variables associated with its occurrence. Material and Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study in a tertiary care referral hospital in Mexico City to describe the incidence of perioperative hypothermia and factors associated with postoperative hypothermia. Potential variables associated with hypothermia were evaluated with logistic regression analysis. Results: A total of 110 patients were included in the analysis. Of them, 61% (n = 67) were women. The mean age was 56.7 years (SD: 16.3, range: 75). The incidence of postoperative hypothermia in patients undergoing major abdominal surgery was 57.3%, while preoperative and intraoperative hypothermia occurred in 55.5% and 79.1%, respectively. An age over 60 years was the only variable associated with postoperative hypothermia after multivariable adjustment for sex, age, and time surgery (OR=18.4; 95% CI: 3.79-89.6; p<0.0001). Conclusion: Increasing age was the only variable associated with postoperative hypothermia in patients undergoing major abdominal surgery.