Every surgical facility has its own set of criteria for warming patients, according to an article on the Outpatient Surgery website.
Surgical facilities have rules that determine who, when, where and how it warms, from forced-air warming to blankets.
Warming rules depend on the circumstances and preferred warming modalities: warmed blankets, warm irrigation and IV fluids, forced-air warmers and air-free, water-free conductive table pads, blankets and mattresses.
OR leaders seem to agree on the reasons why you expend the effort and expense to warm patients: to make patients comfortable, and to prevent the major consequences associated with even mild hypothermia.