Blanket warming cabinets help provide better patient care on many levels. They provide a safer and easier method to reduce the physical and psychological stresses of invasive procedures and reduce patient anxiety through the use of warm blankets.
Physical Benefits of Blanket Warmers
Pre-warming the patient is vitally important before entering surgery or an interventional procedure. General anesthesia can often cause shivering and body temperature levels to drop, making a warm blanket essential to patients for any type of procedure requiring anesthesia to prevent hypothermia. Sometimes the body temperature decreases further during interventional procedures. Sometimes a warm blanket can remain on the patient and maintain a warmer body temperature throughout surgery. If this temperature drop is not maintained, it can lead to post-procedure complications such as peri-hypothermia, prolonged hospitalization and recovery, and an increase in the risk for infection. Hypothermia is very preventable; yet, it is one of the most common complications from surgery and interventional procedures.
Psychological Benefits of Blanket Warmers
By pre-warming blankets for your patients, you are benefiting them psychologically as well when prepping them for procedures. Hospitals and imaging centers can often be a stressful and intimidating experience, causing physical reactions in the patient, such as shivering. A warm blanket reduces the patient’s shivering and replaces it with a larger sense of comfort and protection. Along with the physical feeling of calm, it is also reassuring to the patient that the healthcare staff genuinely care about their well-being. When a staff member takes out a soothing, warm blanket from a commercial blanket warmer and places it on the patient, he or she is reassured of their genuine concern.
Does Your Facility Need a Blanket Warming Cabinet?
When choosing the right warming cabinet for your facility, you’ll need to take a few factors into consideration such as your volume of patients, the available space in your facility, and how quickly you’ll need your blankets warmed. Once you know those factors you can begin to decide which size blanket warmer you need. Z&Z Medical offers a wide variety of blanket warmers for your needs.
