Intraop hypothermia linked to SSIs after hip fracture repair

Editor's Note

Hypothermia is associated with an increased risk for surgical site infections (SSIs) in patients having surgery to repair a hip fracture, finds this study presented March 2 at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons.

Of 1,525 patients analyzed:

• hypothermia occurred in 13.2% of cases
• those aged in the middle to late 70s and those with lower BMIs were more at risk for hypothermia
• odds of deep SSIs were 3.3 times higher in those who were hypothermic.

A Henry Ford Hospital finds that hypothermia, a relatively common but unintentional occurrence during surgery, is associated with an increased risk for infection in patients who undergo surgery to repair a hip fracture. Researchers theorize that advancing age and lower body mass index (BMI) may be linked to the hypothermia.