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There's growing evidence that a fall in body temperature during surgery - even by just one-and-a-half degrees - increases the risk of complications. If you're heading for an operation in the near future, there's a question you should ask your surgeon. How cosy am I going to be in theatre? Because there's growing evidence that if they let you become cold unintentionally, the risks of all sorts of things go up. In one trial, people whose temperature fell by just under one-and-a-half degrees had three times the risk of heart problems, either in theatre or just after. Another study showed a doubling or tripling of wound infection rates with a fall of two degrees. People who were hypothermic during hip replacement surgery lost more blood. And in general, this group stayed in the post-operative recovery ward longer and were in hospital nearly three days longer overall than those kept warm. Some operations, especially on the heart, need hypothermia but when it's unnecessary, there are ways of staying warm – from heated intravenous solutions to specially warmed blankets. After all, it's not the sort of place you can wear your ski gear.
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