Why Are Operating Rooms Cold

We use bair huggers pre and post op but the patients freeze in the or.

Why are operating rooms cold. The real reason operating rooms are kept so cool is for the comfort of or personnel specifically the surgeon. So why is it so cold in the or. Equipment made of metal can also rust rendering them inappropriate for use in the emergency room. Combine that with the factors listed below and you ll understand why they re hot even though the room feels cold.

Anesthesiologists would wear a long sleeve sweater unde. The temperature in the operating room by aorn standards the operating room temperature is normally kept between 68 0 and 75 0. Too cold is also bad hypothermic patients are more likely to get wound infections. You may worry about patients getting too cold but in operating room situations a patient s body temperature can be controlled independently of room temperature using warming pads.

The room is often kept cool to keep the surgeon and the staff more. Wearing a second layer of clothes. 2 this can vary depending on the type of surgery being performed. Maintaining a clean and sanitary environment is critical for patient care which is why temperatures stay cold.

Sometimes i shiver so much that my abs hurt. In a regular room more blankets can be added. After a while my fingertips almost turn blue. Why is the operating room so damn cold.

The sacred responsibility of first do no harm is a pretty big stressor on its own. Because both too hot and too cold is dangerous the cdc adopts the american institute of architects parameters for operating room ventilation. When moisture condenses on the operating tools it encourages the growth of bacteria that leads to contamination. Other heat insults for the or crew include.

That s your scrubbed in operating room crew. Why are ors cold. Operating rooms are kept colder than normal so the surgeons and nurses feel comfortable. For example during an open heart procedure the surgeon can request to have the temperature dropped down to 63 0.

Of course it s important that the patient s body temperature doesn t drop too much. So many surgeries are 1 2 hours max out patient cases the patient is not deeply sedated they are awake enough to feel the cold. I have previously discussed this topic but briefly it was traditionally kept cool for the comfort of those working under hot incandescent light wearing heavy cloth or impermeable paper gowns. When wearing a sterile gown for a length of time especially while standing under warm or lights your surgeon can become quite hot.