Using the Bair Hugger™ temperature monitoring system in neck and chest regions: a pilot study

Purpose: Temperature monitoring in the perioperative periods is important in order to avoid both hyperthermia and hypothermia. In our pilot study, we evaluated the usefulness of Bair Hugger™ temperature monitoring system (BHTMS), a forehead deep temperature monitoring system, in the neck and chest under general anesthesia.

Methods: After approval from the Sapporo Medical University Research Ethics Board, 30 female patients scheduled for laparoscopic surgery were enrolled in this study. Patients were divided into three groups, depending on the attachment regions of BHTMS sensor. Temperatures obtained from the three regions and each esophageal temperature (T_Eso) were monitored and analyzed.

Results: A Bland-Altman plot showed that the mean bias between temperature obtained from the neck and T_Eso was + 0.05 °C above T_Eso (2SD ± 0.35 °C), and that between temperature obtained from the chest and T_Eso was - 0.55 °C above T_Eso (2SD ± 0.55 °C).

Conclusion: By using the BHTMS sensor in the neck region, it is possible to monitor core body temperature seamlessly and with high reliability. These results may suggest that the use of BHTMS has high versatility in measuring perioperative core body temperature.

Trial registration: This study was approved by the Sapporo Medical University Research Ethics Board (2015: No. 262-149) and registered with UMIN Clinical Trial Registry ( UMIN000016802 Registered 15 March 2015).