Measure ID
TEMP-01
Domain
Temperature
Description

Percentage of cases that active warming was administered by the anesthesia provider.

Measure Type
Process
Rationale

General and neuraxial anesthesia causes vasodilation thus redistributing body heat from the core to peripheries.  This redistribution can cause hypothermia.  Core temperatures outside the normal range pose significant risks to patients. Pediatric patients are more likely to develop perioperative hypothermia due to a high surface area to weight ratio and inability to regulate their own temperature.1  Published research has correlated impaired wound healing, adverse cardiac events, altered drug metabolism, and coagulopathies with unplanned perioperative hypothermia. These adverse outcomes resulted in prolonged hospital stays and increased healthcare expenditures.  Active warming techniques provide the best results for reducing cutaneous heat loss and preventing hypothermia.2-7

Threshold
90%
Measure Time Period

Anesthesia Start to Patient Extubated

Inclusions

Patients who recieve General Anesthesia or Neuraxial Anesthesia

Exclusions
  • ASA 5 and 6 cases
  • Diagnostic Procedures (CPT: 01922)
  • Obstetric Non-Operative Procedures (CPT: 01958) 
  • Labor Epidurals (as determined by the MPOG 'Obstetric Anesthesia Type' Phenotype results 'Labor Epidural' and 'Conversion (Labor Epidural Portion))'
  • Cesarean Delivery cases as determined by the “Obstetric Anesthesia Type” Phenotype. Phenotype results included:
    • Conversion (Labor epidural and cesarean delivery combined) (value =1)
    • Cesarean Delivery (value =2)
    • Conversion (Cesarean Delivery Portion) (value =7)
  • Procedure Type: MRI
  • Cases < 60 minutes (see other measure build details)
  • Cases where the ‘Measure End Time’ precedes ‘Measure Start Time’ will be excluded and marked 'invalid'
Success Criteria
  • Cases with documentation of an active warming device applied OR
  • Cases with at least one temperature greater than or equal to 36.0°C within the 30 minutes before Patient out of room. If not available, then Anesthesia End
  • Other considerations:
    • For patients undergoing cesarean section fluid warmer is accepted as an active warming device.
      • These cases are determined by the MPOG Obstetric Anesthesia Type Phenotype. Included results:
        • 'Conversion (Cesarean Delivery and Labor Epidural Combined)'
        • 'Cesarean Delivery'
        • 'Conversion (Cesarean Delivery Portion)'
Other Measure Details

The active warming (TEMP 01) measure will identify the percentage of cases in which an active warming device was applied between 'Case Start' and 'Case End' or the patient maintained a temperature above 36.0°C without active warming. In the event that active warming was not performed or documented, the case will meet the measure requirements if at least one temperature is greater than or equal to 36.0°C within 30 minutes of patient out of room.

Active Warming includes:

  • Convective warming: forced air
  • Conductive warming: circulating water mattress, resistive heating electrical blankets
  • Endovascular warming, using a heat exchanging catheter (very rarely used)
  • Radiant heaters

Passive Warming interventions (NOT active warming):

  • Increasing ambient room temperature
  • Thermal insulators such as blankets
  • Fluid warmer (except for cesarean section)

Algorithm for determining Case Length:

  • Start
    • Patient In Room. If not available, then
    • Induction End. If not available, then
    • Anesthesia Start
  • End
    • Patient out of room. If not available, then
    • Anesthesia End

 

Temperature Artifact algorithm:

  • Less than 32.0°C (89.6F)
  • Greater than 40.0°C (104.0F)
  • Any minute-to-minute jumps >0.5°C equivalent. 
    • Example: 0.125°C /15s, 0.25°C / 30s, 1°C / 2mins
  • Conversion from F to C:    F=32 +9/5 (°C)
  • If temperature site not present in physiologic concept, refer to intraop notes.
  • This measure uses the WarmingMethodClasification and WarmingMethodNotes phenotypes, which are not time bound
Risk Adjustment

Not applicable.

Provider Attribution

Provider(s) present at Induction End. If not available, then

  • Patient in Room. If not available, then
  • Anesthesia Start

 

MPOG Concept Used

Temperature

  • 3050       Temp 1- Unspecified Site
  • 3051       Temp 2- Unspecified Site
  • 3052       Temp 1- Monitoring Site
  • 3053       Temp 2- Monitoring Site
  • 3031       Temperature- Temporal Artery
  • 3054       Temperature- Skin
  • 3055       Temperature- Esophageal
  • 3056       Temperature- Blood
  • 3057       Temperature- Tympanic
  • 3058       Temperature- Bladder
  • 3059       Temperature- Nasopharyngeal
  • 3060       Temperature- Axillary
  • 3061       Temperature- Rectal
  • 3062       Temperature- Myocardial
  • 3533      Temperature Route
  • 50191    Monitoring- Temperature Probe Placed
  • 50192    Monitoring- Temperature Probe Location/Type

Warming Method

  • 50138    Patient Warming Method- Convective Warmer
  • 50320    Warming Attempts- Warm Room
  • 50321    Warming Attempts- Convective Warmer
  • 50322    Warming Attempts- Warm Blanket
  • 50323    Warming Attempts- Radiant Heaters
  • 50324    Warming Attempts- Fluid Warmer
  • 50325    Warming Attempts- Warmer or blankets location detail

Extubation

  • 50127    Intubation Extubated Awake or Deep
  • 50145    Laryngeal Mask Airway removed Deep or Awake
  • 50202    Emergence- Patient Extubated
References
  1. Carpenter L, Baysinger CL. Maintaining perioperative normothermia in the patient undergoing cesarean delivery. Obstetrical & gynecological survey. 2012;67(7):436-446.
  2. Horn EP, Schroeder F, Gottschalk A, et al. Active warming during cesarean delivery. Anesthesia and analgesia. 2002;94(2):409-414, table of contents.
  3. Insler SR, Sessler DI. Perioperative thermoregulation and temperature monitoring. Anesthesiology clinics. 2006;24(4):823-837.
  4. Kim P, Taghon T, Fetzer M, Tobias JD. Perioperative hypothermia in the pediatric population: a quality improvement project. American journal of medical quality : the official journal of the American College of Medical Quality. 2013;28(5):400-406.
  5. Madrid E, Urrutia G, Roque i Figuls M, et al. Active body surface warming systems for preventing complications caused by inadvertent perioperative hypothermia in adults. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews. 2016;4:Cd009016.
  6. Sessler DI. Temperature monitoring and perioperative thermoregulation. Anesthesiology. 2008;109(2):318-338.
  7. Sun Z, Honar H, Sessler DI, et al. Intraoperative core temperature patterns, transfusion requirement, and hospital duration in patients warmed with forced air. Anesthesiology. 2015;122(2):276-285.

 

Measure Reviewer(s)
Next Review: 2025
 Date Reviewed  Reviewer  Institution  Summary  QC Vote
 07/25/2022

 Sunny Chiao, MD

 Aisha Qazi, MD

 University of Virginia

 Corewell East - Troy

 Review

  No Change

Version
Published Date: 06/2016
Date Criteria Revision
 4/11/2023  Multiple

Exclusion: Case duration algorithm updated 

Success: Updated end time from Case End phenotype to Patient out of room 

 10/28/2020

 Exclusion Modified to use Obstetric Anesthesia Technique phenotype; Cases now invalid if case end < case start
 12/2/2019  Exclusion Modified to use Anesthesia CPTs for Measures phenotype instead of Primary Anesthesia CPT phenotype