Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust (RCHT) has converted to using the Mistral-Air Forced Air Warming systems and blankets from Central Medical Supplies (CMS), for use across hospitals in the Trust.
The units will help prevent inadvertent perioperative hypothermia, thereby reducing surgical site infections and decreasing the length of hospital stay and cost per patient.
Flexible to use, due to its slim and lightweight design, the system optimises heat transfer, due to its multi sensor technology. The unit’s powerful fan eliminates air contaminants via the HEPA filter, which can operate for 2,000 hours before needing to be changed. The benefits of this longer run time include a decrease in downtime and reduced filter costs.
As well as the Forced Air Warming units, RCHT has also purchased Mistral-Air Premium Warming Blankets; an all-in-one solution for keeping a patient warm during the entire perioperative procedure. Premium blankets can reduce heat loss by up to eighty per cent in the perioperative environment. The blanket’s insulating top layer increases the warming capacity by at least ten per cent, by reducing radiant heat loss.
Commenting on the Trust’s purchase, Kelly O’Toole, Anaesthetics Manager at RCHT, says: “Perioperative hypothermia is a well-recognised complication that occurs during general anaesthesia and at RCHT we are committed to ensuring patients are effectively warmed to combat this.”
