Pediatric Bair hugger machine

[urge]

Has anyone ever heard that only specific "pediatric bair hugger" machines can be used in peds because the "adult "bair hugger" machines has been linked with burns in peds?

Is this a real thing or an urban leyend?

Doesn't make any sense to me. Bair hugger website only has one machine 775 that is listed as ped and adult compatible. The other two machines have no mention of compatibility with either adult or peds. (Not apt for use in humans I must conclude).

http://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/905361O/b-8-1-bair-hugger-product-catalogue.pdf

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[AdmiralChz]

They make peds-specific blankets for infants/neonates that are pretty helpful. You have to be careful not to overheat these kiddos though, which is certainly a risk. Simply monitoring temperature and turning it off the high setting when you get back to an appropriate temp will do the trick.

 

[urge]

Evidence they are not for use in humans.

 

[urge]

They make peds-specific blankets for infants/neonates that are pretty helpful. You have to be careful not to overheat these kiddos though, which is certainly a risk. Simply monitoring temperature and turning it off the high setting when you get back to an appropriate temp will do the trick.

Forget the blankets. I'm talking about the air blower machine.

The specific question is whether machine model 505 and 750 cannot be used with ped patients?

 

[WholeLottaGame7]

Forget the blankets. I'm talking about the air blower machine.

The specific question is whether machine model 505 and 750 cannot be used with ped patients?

That second one is the only one I've ever seen, and we use it at our children's hospital. I've never heard of a burn but they do have a 43C setting so they can definitely overheat if not careful.

On the product description it just says "compatible with pediatric and adult blankets" not that the machine can't be used for pediatrics. And the other 2 product descriptions don't say anything so I'm guessing they just left it off.

I think it's a non-issue.

 

[Reciprocity79]

Our institution uses them but has a policy to use the lower fan setting and maximum temp setting of 38C along with continuous temp monitoring for neonates and infants. Have not heard of a case of actual thermal injury in kids, though.

 

[urge]

Our institution uses them but has a policy to use the lower fan setting and maximum temp setting of 38C along with continuous temp monitoring for neonates and infants. Have not heard of a case of actual thermal injury in kids, though.

http://www2.pedsanesthesia.org/meetings/2006winter/pdfs/2006 P7_Chalabi.pdf

 

[sigrhoillusion]

Our institution uses them but has a policy to use the lower fan setting and maximum temp setting of 38C along with continuous temp monitoring for neonates and infants. Have not heard of a case of actual thermal injury in kids, though.

Ditto in the low fan setting.

I mean any active warming device can result in burns whether it's peds or adults. Monitor temps and stay vigil.

 

[AdmiralChz]

I've been getting e-mails about the hilariously named Hot Dog device - anyone have any experience with that one?

 

[partydoc]

We use the hot dog at our children's hospital, though not often

 

[deleted162650]

I've been getting e-mails about the hilariously named Hot Dog device - anyone have any experience with that one?

They used it at the children's hospital in residency. Everyone bitched that it didn't do a very good job of warming the little kiddos.

It's actually another one of Scott Augustine's products who is the inventor of the Bair Hugger. All the literature you see about Bair Huggers stirring up dirty air and causing infections is either coming from or sponsored by Augustine in an effort to promote the Hot Dog.

 

[chocomorsel]

http://www2.pedsanesthesia.org/meetings/2006winter/pdfs/2006 P7_Chalabi.pdf



View attachment 210062

Urge, based on the link you gave, it looks like the culprit was the plastic sheets and not the Bair hugger. There were plastic sheets between the hugger and the patient which trapped the heat and magnified it it, then transferred to the patient's skin. The way cotton blankets would not be able to do.

Take home point is to not put a plastic sheet/drape between the bair hugger and patient. Use cloth blankets or sterile cloth drapes.

Are these plastic drapes common in the peds world? Can't say that I see them in the general world.

 

[jonessoda1212]

Urge, based on the link you gave, it looks like the culprit was the plastic sheets and not the Blair hugger. Their were plastic sheets between the hugger and the patient which trapped the heat and magnified it it, then transferred to the patient's skin. The way cotton blankets would not be able to do.

Take home point is to not put a plastic sheet/drape between the bair hugger and patient. Use cloth blankets or sterile cloth drapes.

Are these plastic drapes common in the peds world? Can't say that I see them in the general world.

The plastic sheets come with each pediatric underbody bair hugger when you open it.

 

[chocomorsel]

The plastic sheets come with each pediatric underbody bair hugger when you open it.

Don't remember ever using them in peds. We just put baby on the bear hugger and blanketed or draped them. But nurses actually set it up. Guess they must have thrown the plastic away. Possibly because of this article? I don't know. As warm and uncomfortable as pedi rooms are, I don't see the need.

 

[IlDestriero]

As far as I know, the blankets are designed to be placed directly on the skin. I was taught that the plastic sheets that come with the pediatric underbody blanket were to be used over the patient in the area not being operated on. Like at the shoulders draped over the head and at the hips over the legs during abdominal surgery. I very rarely use them. The surgical drape does a fine job retaining heat when they're on an underbody blanket.

I get emails at least monthly from Augustine medical about the hot dog warmer, including an offer to invest in the new company. Pass.

--
Il Destriero

 

[sigrhoillusion]

From what I've been taught, the bair hugger should be placed directly on the skin and then blankets can be placed over them. IF you put the bair hugger on top of a blanket then you end up just getting a warm blanket more often than not. The plastic sheet that comes in the package I tend to throw out or use to completely cover the head or any part of the body not being operated on is exposed.

 

[sigrhoillusion]

Actually I think the only ones that have the seperate plastic drape are the peds blanket and the underbody one (which we use for cardiac patients and occasionally big belly cases). The lower body blankets might have them as well... I know the upper body has a plastic drape that's incorpororated into the actual blanket.

And I'm sure someone will give me grief for this, but I tend to poke a hole in the plastic drape that goes over the head and place the ETT/LMA through the whole so I can get the drape directly over the patient's head instead of having it tent and allow heat to escape. Never had any issues with burns, or had the airway ripped out while taking off the drape. I tend to just tear the drape away (like we do for central line placements) prior to extubating.

 

[drmwvr]

The plastic sheets come with each pediatric underbody bair hugger when you open it.

Those sheets are for shielding the under body hugger from surgical prep solution draining off of the baby. If the "blanket" gets soaked while the unit is operating, infants can cool quickly because of the evaporation.

What OR nurses confuse for burns are the hyperemic "dots" that can develop on the infant's skin as a result of the tiny warm jets coming from the underbody blankets. They resolve in less than an hour and using the lowest fan setting avoids this.

 

[sigrhoillusion]

Those sheets are for shielding the under body hugger from surgical prep solution draining off of the baby. If the "blanket" gets soaked while the unit is operating, infants can cool quickly because of the evaporation.

What OR nurses confuse for burns are the hyperemic "dots" that can develop on the infant's skin as a result of the tiny warm jets coming from the underbody blankets. They resolve in less than an hour and using the lowest fan setting avoids this.

Umm... I'm not so sure that's what the plastic drape is for. Even the manual says the plastic drapes are for covering the patient.

http://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/905361O/b-8-1-bair-hugger-product-catalogue.pdf

 

[drmwvr]

Umm... I'm not so sure that's what the plastic drape is for. Even the manual says the plastic drapes are for covering the patient.

http://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/905361O/b-8-1-bair-hugger-product-catalogue.pdf

Um...you are covering the patient. And the blanket. You square off the area to be prepped with the provided plastic drapes. Our surgeons insist on it, especially for abdominal surgery in neonates, because it works.

And it isn't just for the prep, obviously. Open bowel resections in neonates requires relatively large volumes of irrigation and if the Bair Hugger gets wet, the core temp can plummet.

 

[BobBarker]

We had liquid underbody warmers. Like thin rubber mats. Rarely used the bair huggers.

 

[sigrhoillusion]

Um...you are covering the patient. And the blanket. You square off the area to be prepped with the provided plastic drapes. Our surgeons insist on it, especially for abdominal surgery in neonates, because it works.

And it isn't just for the prep, obviously. Open bowel resections in neonates requires relatively large volumes of irrigation and if the Bair Hugger gets wet, the core temp can plummet.

Ok. The way I read your initial post was that you use the plastic drape to cover the blanket and THEN put the baby on top. Definitely agree that the drape goes over the baby and you make space for the operative site.