Cutaneous heat loss with three surgical drapes, one impervious to moisture.

A new surgical drape that is impervious to moisture presumably reduces evaporative heat loss. We compared cutaneous heat loss and skin temperature in volunteers covered with this drape to two conventional surgical drapes (Large Surgical Drape and Medline Proxima). We calculated cutaneous heat loss and skin-surface temperatures from 15 area-weighted thermal flux transducers in eight volunteers. In random order, each of the drapes was evaluated with dry transducers and moistened transducers (simulating wet skin). After a 20-min uncovered control period, volunteers were covered from the neck down for 40 min. Data were recorded continuously and averaged over 10 min. Results were similar for all three drapes for dry or moist conditions. Under dry conditions, baseline heat loss was 82 +/- 14 W and decreased 30% with a surgical drape (P < 0.001). Under moist conditions, baseline heat loss was 231 +/- 45 W and decreased 29% with a drape covering (P < 0.001). Moist skin increased heat loss 282% (P < 0.001). There were no clinically important differences in skin temperature among the covers with dry or moist skin. Moist skin increased heat loss nearly three-fold, but there were no differences among the drapes. We conclude that loss is comparable with impervious and conventional drapes with either moist or dry skin.