Every patient undergoing surgery is at risk for developing Perioperative Hypothermia. Both AORN & ASPAN Guidelines state every patient undergoing surgery is at risk for developing PH and that the surgical patient’s temperatures should be monitored from Pre-Op through PACU.

Why is temperature monitoring so critical?

While surgical patients may comment that they feel warm or cold, this subjective information must be verified to confirm whether the patient is actually normothermic. Also a surgical patients body temperature can fluctuate when anesthesia is given thus temperature monitoring is preferred over episodic temperature taking. Lastly episodic temperature monitoring is labor intensive and therefore, expensive. Continuous temperature monitoring allows the clinician to be proactive with maintaining normothermia and preventing unplanned hypothermia.

By initiating the practice of temperature monitoring in Pre-Op the surgical team can ascertain the patient’s actual baseline termperature in advance of anesthesia. Patient temperatures averaging 1.5°C below normal can cause negative patient outcomes such as increased cardiovascular complications, perioperative hemorrhage, surgical site infection, prolong the patient’s stay in the PACU and decrease patient comfort and satisfaction.

As new non-invasive dynamic patient temperature monitor devices find their way into to ASC market all members of the ASC Surgical Team can take part in proactively preventing PH by monitoring the surgical patient’s temperature continuously from PRE-OP to the PACU.

Selecting the proper temperature monitor…

When choosing a continuous temperature monitor certain product features and attributes should be present. It should be an FDA listed Class II medical device. Here are 3 essential attributes for dynamic patient temperature monitoring devices for you to consider:

• Monitors that can travel with patients from Pre-Op to PACU without being disconnected thus preventing interruptions in continuous temperature monitoring.
• Monitors with alarms that can alert staff when the patient’s temps are trending toward hypothermia providing a faster staff response time.
• Monitors with the capability to record temperatures and generate an ASC-13 compliant report summary.

The DataTherm® II Continuous Temperature Monitor is accurate, reliable, affordable and meets all the essential attributes listed above for “Dynamic Patient Temperature Monitoring™”

• Stays with the patient throughout the perioperative setting
• Multi-site applications: axillary, cutaneous, rectal & esophageal
• Battery operated (eliminates electrical cords)
• Compact (weighs < 2 ounces) with easy & intuitive programming
• Replaces labor intensive “temperature taking” with continuous temperature monitoring
• Programmable high and low audible alarms
• Sensor probes may be reprocessed according to manufacturer recommendations
• Software will store and download patient temperatures and generate documentation for compliance with reporting requirements.

RG Medical Diagnostics is a leader in the prevention of hypo and hyperthermia and maintaining patient noromothermia. Over 6,000 DataTherm Monitors have been sold in multiple clinical venues and is revered for it’s affordability, accuracy and ease of use. The DataTherm is a German designed FDA Class II listed medical device.

The DataTherm II Continuous Temperature Monitor is the solution you been looking for…

“Dynamic Patient Temperature Monitoring™”

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RG Medical Diagnostics 28351 Beck Rd, Ste G5 Wixom, MI 48393 248-504-6726 Ext 207

For more information, visit www.rgmd.com/surgicalcenter_ datatherm.html