Management of inadvertent perioperative hypothermia in adults

This guidance covers the care and treatment of people who are having an operation in hospital, in the NHS in England and Wales, to reduce their risk of getting cold before, during or after their operation.

Responsibility for undertaking a review of this guidance at the designated review date has passed to the National Clinical Guidelines Centre for Acute and Chronic Conditions (NCGC-ACC). The National Collaborating Centre for Nursing and Supportive Care is no longer active.

NICE has published ‘Inditherm patient warming mattress for the prevention of inadvertent hypothermia’ (NICE medical technology guidance 7). The medical technology guidance does not supersede the guideline recommendations on pre- or perioperative warming.  It also does not update the guideline with respect to the recommendation about forced air warming as a cost-effective use of resources.  However, it does, for this product, update the recommendation for further research on the use of different warming devices.  When considering new investment in warming devices, consideration should be given to whether use of the Inditherm patient warming mattress would be beneficial

• Other information

  • CG65 Perioperative hypothermia (inadvertent): full guideline appendices
  • CG65 Perioperative hypothermia (inadvertent): NICE guideline (web format)

  How this guidance was produced

  Background information

  • NICE guidance aims to prevent hypothermia in patients undergoing surgery

Guideline formats

• Web format
• Quick reference guide (PDF)
• NICE Guideline (PDF)
• Full Guideline (PDF)
• Patient version (MS Word)
• CG65 Cadw cleifion yn gynnes cyn, yn ystod ac ar ôl llawdriniaeth: deall canllawiau NICE (fformat MS Word)

Perioperative hypothermia (inadvertent)

Guideline for patients and carers (PDF)