Warming the intensive care room after abdominal surgery

The Effect of Heating the Intensive Care Room in the Early Postoperative Period on Patient Outcomes

This test will see if keeping the ICU room warmer immediately after elective abdominal surgery helps adults avoid low body temperature, shivering, and related complications.

Quick facts

• Phase: Not applicable
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 70 (estimated)
• Ages: 18 Years and up
• Sex: All
• Sponsor: Cukurova University (Academic / other)
• Locations: 1 site (Adana, Yüreğir)
• Trial ID: NCT07137143 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

Adults who undergo elective abdominal surgery and are sent to the intensive care unit will be placed in rooms that are pre-heated and compared with patients cared for in standard-temperature rooms. The trial enrolls conscious, oriented adults without conditions or medications that impair thermoregulation and who do not require mechanical ventilation. Outcomes include core body temperature in the early postoperative period, incidence of shivering and cardio-respiratory or coagulation complications, patient comfort, and length of ICU/hospital stay. The intervention is simple (raising room temperature) and is tested as an adjunct to existing passive and active warming measures.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Adults (18+) who had elective abdominal surgery, are admitted to ICU awake and oriented, and do not have conditions or medications that impair thermoregulation or require mechanical ventilation are ideal candidates.

Not a fit: Patients with impaired thermoregulation (for example head trauma or hypothalamic damage), those needing mechanical ventilation, or those on medications that affect body temperature are unlikely to benefit from this room-heating approach.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, warming the ICU room could reduce postoperative hypothermia, decrease shivering and certain complications, improve comfort, and potentially shorten ICU or hospital stay.

How similar studies have performed: This approach appears novel—no prior studies specifically heating the postoperative patient room were found, although other active warming methods (blankets, forced-air warming) have shown benefits in reducing hypothermia.

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

* The following criteria will be included in the sample:
* Patients who underwent elective abdominal surgery and were admitted to intensive care after surgery.
* Patients aged 18 and over.
* Patients whose body temperature on the morning of surgery was neither below 36°C nor above 37.5°C.
* Patients who did not have a pacemaker, dementia, advanced spasticity, muscle atrophy, peripheral lesions, osteoporosis, skin irritation, diabetes, hypertension, or obesity.
* Patients who did not require mechanical ventilation.
* Patients who did not have any illness that would impair thermoregulation (such as head trauma or hypothalamic damage).

  • Patients who were not taking medications that would affect thermoregulation, such as vasodilators.
* Patients who did not have peripheral circulation problems.
* Patients who were not alcohol or substance abusers.
* Patients who did not have mental retardation.
* Patients who were conscious and oriented to person, time, and place.
* Patients who could speak Turkish.
* Patients who did not have any auditory or visual impairments.
* Patients who volunteered for the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Patients who do not meet the sampling criteria, who develop postoperative complications (bleeding, intubation, stenosis, necrosis, ileus, dermatitis, parastomal herniation, etc.), and whose relatives do not consent to the study will not be included in the study.

Where this trial is running

Adana, Yüreğir

• Adana City Training and Research Hospital — Adana, Yüreğir, Turkey (Türkiye) (Recruiting)

Study contacts

• Study coordinator: Cansel Bozer Uludağ, expert

Conditions Abdominal Surgery Complications; Hypothermia Following Anesthesia; intensive care unit; hypothermia; postoperative warming