Risk factors for inadvertent intraoperative hypothermia in patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery: A prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND: Inadvertent intraoperative hypothermia is frequent during open surgeries; however, few studies on hypothermia during laparoscopic abdominal surgery have been reported. We aimed to investigate the incidence and risk factors for hypothermia in patients undergoing laparoscopic abdominal surgery. METHODS: This single-center prospective cohort observational study involved patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery between October 2018 and June 2019. Data on core body temperature and potential variables were collected. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the risk factors associated with hypothermia. A Cox regression analysis was used to verify the sensitivity of the results. RESULTS: In total, 690 patients were included in the analysis, of whom 200 (29.0%, 95% CI: 26%−32%) had a core temperature < 36°C. The core temperature decreased over time, and the incident hypothermia increased gradually. In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, age (OR = 1.017, 95% CI: 1.000–1.034, P = 0.050), BMI (OR = 0.938, 95% CI: 0.880–1.000; P = 0.049), baseline body temperature (OR = 0.025, 95% CI: 0.010–0.060; P < 0.001), volume of irrigation fluids (OR = 1.001, 95% CI: 1.000–1.001, P = 0.001), volume of urine (OR = 1.001, 95% CI: 1.000–1.003, P = 0.070), and duration of surgery (OR = 1.010, 95% CI: 1.006–1.015, P < 0.001) were significantly associated with hypothermia. In the Cox analysis, variables in the final model were age, BMI, baseline body temperature, volume of irrigation fluids, blood loss, and duration of surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Inadvertent intraoperative hypothermia is evident in patients undergoing laparoscopic surgeries. Age, BMI, baseline body temperature, volume of irrigation fluids, and duration of surgery are significantly associated with intraoperative hypothermia.