Bair Huggers

[SandraCVRN]

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

[jwk]

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

You're right - you don't know what it is - the company is referring to the practice called "hosing", which is tucking the hose in by the patient instead of using it with the blanket as intended. All that does is blow hot air on one spot for the duration of the case - it can cause 2nd degree burns.

Sticking the hose under the sheets will NOT cause a fire (the air coming out is about 44degC (about 111F), so that concern is unfounded. The lint question is valid - cotton sheets have lint - but the Bair hugger blankets are synthetic (paper and plastic) so they should not. I've never seen a study about it, but it's certainly a legitimate concern, although in reality it may be unfounded as well.

[sandiegojames]

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, this refers to not using the hose directly on patients, basically all OR nurses know not to do this.

But it's an entirely different issue to simply warm the bed prior to a patient lying on it.

[Circl8r]

Ladies and Gents:

If you want to warm the bed prior to placing the patient on the bed, I would heartily suggest using the bair hugger blanket. Placing the hose between two sheets or a bath blanket will only succeed in compromising your sterile field. You're blowing lint all over the room. Just cuz you can't see it doesn't mean it ain't so.

[gragra1124]

Nice to think some places are trying to keep the pt warm. Our blanket warmer is so low that the blankets on the shelf are just as warm. Management states that anything higher is a fire hazard. The bair hugger is placed from finger tip to finger tip then draped. Keep up the good work

[maeyken]

We must be mean... we don't warm up our beds at all!!

I'd never thought of warming the bed with the Bair Hugger hose. Don't think I'll start though- we're having enough issues with "air turbulence" at the moment!

[Fun2, BSN, RN]

I usually put the bair hugger blanket on the bed, and turn it on. If I don't do that, I will at least put the bair hugger tubing under the sheet or regular blanket, and turn on the bair hugger.

Putting the bair hugger blanket on beforehand isn't a big deal. You can just turn it off when the patient comes in to move over to the OR bed, or lift it up, and allow the patient to crawl underneath.

I'm sure the tubing makes the bed warmer without the blanket, but I believe I have read that it could make 'hot spots'. (May have read this in the AORN Journal, but this, I believe, was regarding the tubing directly blowing on a pt.)

[Fun2, BSN, RN]

We must be mean... we don't warm up our beds at all!!

I'd never thought of warming the bed with the Bair Hugger hose. Don't think I'll start though- we're having enough issues with "air turbulence" at the moment!

Quite mean, actually! (Said in a nice way, of course..ha)

Try getting a hospital gown on, with NO undergarments on, and crawl onto a cold plastic bed mattress!!!

[Circl8r]

I usually put the bair hugger blanket on the bed, and turn it on. If I don't do that, I will at least put the bair hugger tubing under the sheet or regular blanket, and turn on the bair hugger... I believe I have read that it could make 'hot spots'. (May have read this in the AORN Journal, but this, I believe, was regarding the tubing directly blowing on a pt.)

The practice of putting the bair hugger tubing underneath the sheet or blanket and and turning it on is potentially contaminating your sterile field with lint from the sheet/blanket. Good intentions in theory, but in reality, not a good practice.

[orrncnor]

I have worked in the OR for 12 years now, we understand as nurses that patients loose body heat by convextion, conduction and evaporation. We have also seen research that states that SSI's are decreased with the body temperature is lowered. (Look under Open Anesthesia.org) They have also proven that per-warming the patient in preop helps with what anesthesia does. So, why would we harm this by overlooking the basic principle of using the bair hugger blanket to warm the bed prior to the patient getting onto it? This stops the effect of convexity from the patient to the bed. Loosing valuable body heat. If you are affraid of the blowing air then use the blanket you intend to use on the patient and cover it with another blanket to trap the heat. AORN has no problem with this method at the moment.