January 23rd, 2025
As the circulator, I was always first in to open up my OR. One morning, the OR was 56 degrees F. I preferred to have them set the OR temp between 66-68 F. You have to remember some patients lose heat very rapidly, especially long, open spine surgeries. It is a balancing act to keep the surgeon from sweating over the patient and protecting the patient’s thermal status. We were an orthopedic/spine specialty hospital, so the surgeries were very physical. The patient comes first. Coordinate with anesthesia to regularly check the core temp status of your patient and adjust the OR room temperature accordingly.
