Keeping Patients Warm from Start to Finish: Insights from Dr. J. M. Zaballos
Dr. Juan M. Zaballos, an anaesthesiologist with extensive experience in perioperative care, has long been an advocate for maintaining normothermia across all surgical procedures. His observations highlight a critical gap in patient temperature management (PTM) and how consistent warming practices and reliable solutions can make a difference to patient safety and outcomes.
Why Temperature Monitoring Still Gets Overlooked
“There are some types of procedures that are probably taken away from temperature monitoring. Most of them are the ones done with regional anaesthesia, for example, in orthopaedic or urology surgery. Since the anaesthetic block makes the patient feel warm, clinicians tend not to monitor temperature.”
Dr. Zaballos points out that this perceived warmth can be misleading. Without continuous temperature monitoring, these patients are still at risk of inadvertent perioperative hypothermia, even when they feel comfortable.
“Sometimes they tend to warm these patients, but temperature monitoring is not done in these cases.”
Beyond the Operating Room
“Other cases that don’t receive correct treatment are probably those done outside the operating room, like in radiology suites or catheterization labs in cardiology. Since these patients are not taken care of by anaesthesiologists in the first instance, they probably are not taken care of as well as the ones in the operating room.”
Maintaining normothermia shouldn’t be limited to the operating room. Dr. Zaballos reminds us that every patient, regardless of the location or type of procedure, deserves the same level of temperature monitoring and warming care.
From Active to Passive Warming, With the Same Solution
Having used TSC Life’s Mistral® Air system since its early commercialization in Europe, Dr. Zaballos shares his experience with the evolution of convective warming technology.
“I’ve been lucky to be using the products from the beginning. I’ve used all three generations of Mistral Air and all types of convective blankets. The ones I like most are the premium blankets.”
What stands out for him is the dual functionality of Mistral® Air Premium Blankets, allowing for both active and passive warming throughout the perioperative journey.
“These blankets can be used as pre-warming blankets during the operation. When the patient is transported to the ICU or recovery unit, they can be disconnected from the convective system and used as passive warming, keeping the heat around the patient and avoiding temperature loss during transport.”
He also highlights the convenience of premium warming gowns, which follow the patient from induction to recovery:
“They are with the patient from the beginning till the end of surgery. They can also be used as active and passive warming.”
A Partner in Education and Quality
“This is a company (TSC Life) that from the beginning had very good quality products. I believe it stands among the most important companies in patient temperature management. The products have good quality and also invest a lot in clinician education and that’s a plus for the company.”
For Dr. Zaballos, the value of a PTM solution extends beyond the device, it’s about education, reliability and trust.
Conclusion
As Dr. Zaballos reminds us, warming and monitoring should be consistent across every setting and innovations like Mistral-Air Premium Blankets make it easier for clinical teams to do just that.
