Why Are Operating Rooms Cold

Of course it s important that the patient s body temperature doesn t drop too much.

Why are operating rooms cold. When moisture condenses on the operating tools it encourages the growth of bacteria that leads to contamination. Why are ors cold. To keep the operating tools safe another reason why the rooms are so cold is to keep the operating tools in good condition. One of the most common questions asked by patients is why is the operating room so cold it is freezing cold to me even though i m wearing a few layers of clothing along with a scrub jacket.

In a regular room more blankets can be added. The room is often kept cool to keep the surgeon and the staff more. After a while my fingertips almost turn blue. Anesthesiologists would wear a long sleeve sweater unde.

Wearing a second layer of clothes. The sacred responsibility of first do no harm is a pretty big stressor on its own. That s your scrubbed in operating room crew. For example during an open heart procedure the surgeon can request to have the temperature dropped down to 63 0.

Equipment made of metal can also rust rendering them inappropriate for use in the emergency room. Other heat insults for the or crew include. 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. 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. Combine that with the factors listed below and you ll understand why they re hot even though the room feels cold. 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.

Some surgeons allow bair huggers to be used in the or but why is there even. 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. Because both too hot and too cold is dangerous the cdc adopts the american institute of architects parameters for operating room ventilation. Operating rooms are kept colder than normal so the surgeons and nurses feel comfortable.

So why is it so cold in the or. The real reason operating rooms are kept so cool is for the comfort of or personnel specifically the surgeon. 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. Why is the operating room so damn cold.