Hypothermic patient: what to do, what to do???

Nurses General Nursing

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Specializes in Cardiology, Oncology, Medsurge.

I recently received a patient from recovery, post op robotic laproscopic hysterectomy and her temperature was too cold to be considered WNL (92 degrees Fahrenheit).

This is what I did:

Got warm blankets

Hot tea (Pt on clear liquids)

Got order for K pad.

Got order to recheck potassium (Potassium was 2.9 and covered during surgery and not rechecked in recovery). I got the patient and the recent potassium level drawn in recovery of 3.2 prior to transfer ; Started NS with 40 meq piggy back.

Anyone feel I was mistaken to give the go ahead to have this patient transferred to the medsurge floor?

Interested to hear your responses.

The rest of the story: the patient's temp did rise to 97 degrees prior to end of shift.

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Specializes in ICU/Critical Care.

I think you did everything fine. Why are you in trouble for something? Some of the patients I get from OR are hypothermic and it's because it's COLD there. I usually throw extra blankets on or a Baire hugger and set it at a medium temp, not too high.

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Specializes in Med surg, Critical Care, LTC.

You never should have received a post op that hypothermic. That is really hypothermic. We send post ops to the floors with a MINIMUM temp greater than or = 96.4. Otherwise they stay in PACU on a Bair hugger and get their temp check q15min.

Your handled your situation very well, but I would write it up. Not to get others in trouble, but because others need to learn what is an appropriate transfere.

Good Luck

Blessings

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Specializes in SICU.

We throw a Bair Hugger warming blanket on the pt, crank the heat in the room, and use a ranger fluid warmer for IV infusions for hypothermic pts requiring fluid boluses. I work SICU though, and I dont know policies for other units as far as when the pt should be transferred from an RMF to ICU. If the pt was stable and just needed warming up, I don't see the issue as it is normal for a pt to come back cool from the OR. I guess I would need to know more about the pt to know, but every unit has their protocols and they vary quite a bit.

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Specializes in Cardiology, Oncology, Medsurge.
I think you did everything fine. Why are you in trouble for something? Some of the patients I get from OR are hypothermic and it's because it's COLD there. I usually throw extra blankets on or a Baire hugger and set it at a medium temp, not too high.

To answer your question. No, I was not found in trouble. I just had not dealt with an hypothermic patient before. New to me.

And I usually don't post the things I was found in trouble for; someone usually at my work will discuss the issue with me privately and I'll usually get good clarification.

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Specializes in ICU/Critical Care.
To answer your question. No, I was not found in trouble. I just had not dealt with an hypothermic patient before. New to me.

And I usually don't post the things I was found in trouble for; someone usually at my work will discuss the issue with me privately and I'll usually get good clarification.

Ok...You did everything right. Babs was right though, she probably shouldn't have come to you that hypothermic.

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