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Abstract Hypothermia is defined as core body temperature less than 36OC. Mild perioperative hypothermia associated with major physiological imbalances and numerous adverse outcome during the intraoperative and postoperative periods, including discomfort and shivering that causes oxygen demands to be increased, delayed wound healing and increased the incidence of surgical wound infection in the postoperative period. It is very difficult to increase core temperature once hypothermia has been started. Therefore, prevention of this problem requires skillful nursing interventions and collaboration with surgical team members. The perioperative nurse can implement many simple measures to reduce a patient’s risk of hypothermia. Nurses should monitor the core temperature of anesthetized surgical patient’s using tympanic membrane site for a more accurate measurement, providing warming using blankets as forced air warmer perioperatively and adjusting room temperatures to a comfortable level. Additional measures to help in prevention of heat loss include, using warmed intravenous fluids by using fluid warmer device. The aim of the current study was to determine the effect of perioperative normothermic maintenance on wound healing. The study was conducted in the surgical wards, general operating rooms and recovery rooms at Alexandria Main University Hospital. Subjects: The subject of this study was comprised of a convenient sample of 40 adult patients, divided equally into study and control groups, 20 patients in each group. Tools: Two tools were used for data collection. Tool (1) perioperative assessment sheet for patients with major abdominal surgery, it was comprised of five parts namely biosociodemographic and clinical data, anthropometric measurements, laboratory investigations, vital signs and shivering scale. Tool (2) Wound healing assessment sheet, this tool was developed by the researcher, it was comprised of description of the wound (edges, color and skin surrounding wound) and Wound discharge (type, color, amount and odor of discharge). |