Bair Huggers

Scrubby · Mar 21, 2008

Hi Sandra.

The anaesthetic nurses usually warm the bed by sticking the bairhugger hose between the linens as you described. I think it's a really good idea because it warms the table so much more than a blanket can.

SandraCVRN · Mar 21, 2008

Thanks for the reply, but I meant attach the bair hugger blanket. Sorry, should have been more clear.

rbs105, ADN, MSN, RN · Mar 23, 2008

Hi-

I have worked in 2 OR's and we have a couple of different options w/the bair huggers. At my main place where I work, we do not ever use it to warm the bed b4 hand, but we will almost always use them w/the tube attached on either the upper body blanket or lower body blanket or both during surgery. If it is an organ transplant or a lengthy procedure such as a whipple, we use the bair huggers and we use the green hyperthermia blankets that are attached to the machine that fills the blanket with water and keeps it heated under the pt (there is the H-blanket, a blanket and then the pt). They are nice because you can control temp and if you are doing a neuro case and the dr wants the pt cooled, you can drop the temp of the blanket and cool the pt.

When I did temp work, they always put the hose on the bed b4 surgery and then moved it when the pt came in. I guess it depends on what you do at your facility. If it is a quick procedure, the tube on the bed real quick is nice for the few moments that the pt is awake before induction. But I don't know that it will do much for actual pt temp. I know the pts have loved the hyperthermia blankets because the bed stays warm and it helps the temp maintain-especially in trauma. Don't know if that helps, but that's my two cents!!!

RBS 105

brewerpaul · Mar 23, 2008

Some of our anesthesia staff like the hose under the sheets trick which seems to work well . However, our OR admins claim that this circulates potentially bacteria laden lint and don't like the practice. OTOH, the Bair blankets aren't sterile, right? Don't they circulate baddies too? Personally, I think it's a very minor point. Maybe I'll see if I could do a mini research project on this: using an unused room on a slow day, I'd leave an open culture plate in the room for, say, an hour with the hose under the linens. Then, after the air filters had a chance to clear the air, repeat the test with a Bair blanket. Comparing the number of colonies growing on the plates from airborne bacteria might be interesting, even if it's not a really rigorous research study.

SandraCVRN · Mar 23, 2008

Thanks.....

Actually, her main concern was/is that just the hose tucked under the linens is a fire hazard. I hadn't even thought about the dust bunny part of it. :smackingf

We do use the blankets for most cases, the tucking just helps with that initial shock when pt transfer onto the OR table. Let me be clear, no one is useing just the hose on the patients.

Keep those ideas coming in.....

sandiegojames · Mar 23, 2008

I like to put the bear hugger blanket on the bed with a blanket over the top. I always see people bring the patients into the room, then go to the warmer and get two warm blankets, come back put the blankets on the patient, then put the strap on, then after induction take off the strap, take off the blankets, put the bear hugger on and then put the blankets back on, and strap back on.

To do all that is just as time consuming as it was to write all of it, really is much easier just to start with the bear huger blanket on the patient. Saves time, save money in linen processing and patients are happily warm.

sandiegojames · Mar 23, 2008

Oh, and regarding the fire hazzard, I'm always amazed at how management can place so much attention on changing a practice that isn't backed up with any real data. Burning a patient is one thing with the bear hugger hose, but starting a fire. That's one I'd call the company on, I'm betting it's designed specifically to prevent that. And I'm willing to put money on there not being a single reported incident of a fire being started by the air coming out of the end of the bear hugger hose in the history of surgery.

IsseyM · Mar 23, 2008

Hey all, just a quick survey.
How many of your places warm your bed by JUST sticking the bair hose between the linens before coming to the room. I'm not talking about using it on a pt without the blanket, just on the bed.
It's one of those things that has been done here forever and one of our new managers wants to change it. Well you know how resistant folks are. She even had a way to warm the bed. JUst put the blanket on the bed, then pull it off when you come into the room. Honestly it doesn't take a minute, but some are VERY resistant.
So what are you all doing?
Thanks,
Sandra

I do this sometimes but don't see anyone else do this in my department. It helps warm up the bed a bit before the patient comes to the room. I learned this from when i oriented to women's surgery, they do this all the time. I tried to do this in our OR but some staff told me about spreading lint and bacteria up in the air. I don't know if its true. I only do this if i work with an anesthesiologist who agrees with doing this.

nightmare, RN · Mar 23, 2008

Not knowing what a 'bair hugger' was I looked up the website.There there are big warnings about using the hose unattached to the blanket!!

http://www.stophosing.com/hosing.html

IsseyM · Mar 23, 2008

Not knowing what a 'bair hugger' was I looked up the website.There there are big warnings about using the hose unattached to the blanket!!
http://www.stophosing.com/hosing.html

Thats scary! I've never seen anyone in my department use the hose unattached during a case, we all use the upper or lower body blanket attached to the hose. I've only used the hose to warm up the bed before the patient comes into the room and still the bed doesn't get very warm.

SandraCVRN · Mar 24, 2008

Not knowing what a 'bair hugger' was I looked up the website.There there are big warnings about using the hose unattached to the blanket!!
http://www.stophosing.com/hosing.html

Yes, I understand that, I am NOT talking about using just the hose on a patient JUST on the OR table.

Thanks everyone for their replies.