• Wendy M Fallis, Kathy Hamelin, Jackie Symonds, and Xikui Wang.
• Clinical Institute of Applied Research and Education, Victoria General Hospital, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. wfallis@vgh.mb.ca
• J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs. 2006 May 1;35(3):324-31.

ObjectiveTo compare two methods of maternal warming during cesarean delivery under spinal anesthesia on maternal and newborn outcomes.DesignRandomized control trial.SettingTwo acute care hospitals in central Canada.Patients62 women (32 intervention, 30 control).InterventionsWomen received either a forced-air warming blanket (intervention) or usual care warmed cotton blankets (control).Main Outcome MeasuresFor mothers: oral temperature, degree of shivering, thermal comfort, and pain scores. For newborns: rectal temperature at birth, 1- and 5-minute Apgar scores, and frequency of interventions for hypoglycemia within 3 hours of birth.ResultsWith the exception of perceived thermal comfort, women in the two groups were not significantly different in terms of oral temperature, incidence of shivering, and pain scores. Similarly, newborns in both groups were not significantly different in terms of any of the measured variables. Although newborn rectal temperature was within the normal range, mothers in both groups showed a significant decline in body temperature to the mild hypothermic range (control 36.7 +/- 0.4 degrees C to 35.9 +/- 0.5 degrees C, p < .001; intervention 36.8 +/- 0.4 degrees C to 36.1 +/- 0.4 degrees C, p < .001).ConclusionThe usual treatment of supplying warmed cotton blankets remains the treatment of choice for this population.

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