Effect of the Irrigation Fluid Temperature on Core Temperature in Transurethral Resection of Prostate Patients Under Spinal Versus General Anaesthesia.
Preventing unintentional hypothermia for all surgical patients has been an important challenge for anaesthesiologist. Despite body temperature been a vital sign, hypothermia during
Transurethral prostate resection has received relatively little importance in the urology literature.
Irrigation fluid as a cause of hypothermia during TURP was first reported by Rabke et al. The consequences of unplanned hypothermia are significant and is well documented in the existing literature. The type of
anaesthetic technique and the temperature of irrigation fluid best for TURP is still debatable.
Spinal anaesthesia is a preferred for TURP however general anesthesia is indicated when blockade
is counter indicated, fails or is refused by the patient. The type of anaesthetic used also influence the irrigation fluid absorption and also impairs the thermoregulatory mechanisms which contributes to the development of hypothermia.
Most patients undergoing TURP are elderly which is an important independent risk factor for developing hypothermia which increases susceptibility to intraoperative as well as post-operative complications and delays patient recovery from anaesthesia hence increasing the financial burden on the patient.
Therefore it is critical to understand the importance of maintaining normothermia in patients specially elderly undergoing surgery. Various stratigies can be used to prevent heat loss and to lower the risk of inadvertent hypothermia associated with administering anaesthesia.
Warming of irrigation fluid seems appealing to achieve normothermia, however studies comparing the effect of pre warmed and unwarmed irrigation fluid under different anaesthetic technique to prevent unintended hypothermia have shown conflicting results.
Res Pract Anesthesiol Open J. 2018; 3(1): 7-12. doi: 10.17140/RPAOJ-3-117
