Patient warming systems

A patient warming system keeps body temperature from dropping during surgery and afterwards, in recovery or the ICU. The Finer catalog has a convective system and blanket-based warmers, plus single-use Cocoon blankets for different procedures and ages. Below we explain how these approaches differ, which blanket suits a given surgical access and what to calculate before buying so the unit never runs short of consumables.

Which warming systems are in the Finer catalog?

Convective warming is covered by the CWS 5000 patient warming system. It blows warm air into a blanket, with a set range of 34 to 46 °C. Care Essentials makes both the unit and the Cocoon blankets. Blanket warming comes from the H60D patient warming system, which works at 33 to 39 °C and has an 8″ screen. The H60S heats through a carbon heating layer, also at 33 to 39 °C. Both are made by SINO MDT.

Which Cocoon blankets fit the procedure and age?

Cocoon warming blankets are micro-perforated so warm air reaches the patient. For adults there is a full-body CLM 0101, a lower-body CLM 0102 and upper-body blankets with arms in or out (CLM 0103, CLM 0104), plus the tubular CLM 0122 and the underbody CLM 0127. Others are cut for a specific approach. CLM 0108 leaves access to the heart and CLM 0118 to the abdomen, while CLM 0124 combines surgical access with arm coverage. CLM 0125 is for lithotomy and laparoscopy, CLM 0121 is multipurpose, and CLM 0112 is an air bag blanket.

For children there is the neonatal CLM 0105 and the pediatric CLM 0107 and CLM 0109, along with the tubular CLM 0106, the lower-body CLM 0117 and the underbody CLM 0115 and CLM 0116. Blankets come in packs of 10 or 30, which makes it easy to plan stock around your monthly caseload.

How does convective warming differ from a heating layer?

A convective system heats air and sends it down a hose into a single-use blanket with holes. The blanket shape is chosen for the patient's position and the surgical field, so it stays out of the surgeon's way. The carbon-layer model warms by contact with no airflow at all. Which suits a given operating room depends on the procedures and how long operations last, and with a convective system you also plan the stock of single-use blankets, since each one serves a single patient.

How to choose a patient warming system?

Start with where it will work: the OR, recovery, the ICU or a neonatal unit. Then compare temperature range and accuracy, plus overheat alarms, and for convective systems the air filter as well (one model's listing specifies HEPA H14). Check that the blanket types you need exist for your procedures and age groups, and how many hose ports they have (2 or 3 on Cocoon). Blankets from one maker usually do not fit another maker's unit. Each single-use blanket serves one patient, so estimate the yearly need from your number of operations.

Where to buy a patient warming system?

Finer has supplied operating suites and anesthesiology departments with equipment from leading global manufacturers since 2015 (the legal name is Finer Ukraine LLC). Our doctors and engineers will help you choose between convective and contact warming, work out a year's stock of blankets and draft a quote with a tender package. Once the order arrives, we set up the unit and train the team on it. Fluids and blood are warmed before infusion by the warmers in Infusion and syringe pumps. In the OR you will also need anesthesia machines, newborns are covered by neonatal care systems, and everything else is under Medical equipment. To talk through a model, call 0 800 334 585 or use the contacts page, and if you are equipping a whole operating room, see our turnkey solutions.

FAQ

1. Why warm a patient in the operating room?

Anesthesia disrupts thermoregulation, and in a cool OR with an open surgical field a patient loses heat fast. Postoperative hypothermia is linked to shivering on waking and greater blood loss, as well as a higher risk of wound infection. That is why warming on the operating table goes into the anesthesia plan in advance.

2. What is active patient warming?

It means warming from an external heat source, as opposed to passive warming, where the patient is only covered to reduce heat loss. Active methods include convective systems that blow warm air, such as CWS 5000, and blankets with a heating layer, as on the H60S.

3. How is a hypothermic patient rewarmed?

In hospital this is done with active external warming: a convective blanket with warm air or a blanket with a heating layer, with temperature control and an overheat alarm. Infusion fluids are warmed separately. The rewarming approach is decided by the doctor based on the patient's condition.

4. Are there warming blankets for newborns?

Yes. The Cocoon line includes the neonatal CLM 0105, the pediatric CLM 0107 and CLM 0109 and the tubular CLM 0106 for children. There is also the lower-body CLM 0117 and two underbody blankets (CLM 0115, CLM 0116). They work with the same maker's convective system.

5. How much does a patient warming system cost?

Prices for some items are published on the site. For a unit with a stock of blankets we prepare a quote, where the figure depends on the model and on the number and types of blankets for your procedures and age groups. With a convective system it is worth budgeting a year's supply of single-use blankets from the start.