The Effect of Inadvertent Perioperative Hypothermia on Surgical-Site Infection in Bariatric Surgery Patients

Background and Objective: There are differing results as to whether inadvertent perioperative hypothermia (IPH) is associated with the risk of surgical-site infection (SSI). This study was carried out to determine the effect of IPH developing in bariatric surgery patients on SSI. Materials and Methods: The study is a descriptive/cross-sectional/prospective study. The study group consisted of 102 patients who underwent bariatric surgery. The body temperatures of the patients were measured tympanically and recorded in the perioperative period and patients were followed up for SSI postoperative and 30 days after discharge. Findings: In this study, it was found that all patients aged 31–40 years developed IPH and SSI. All patients with chronic disease developed IPH, and the presence of chronic disease affected the development of SSI at a rate of 88.9%. IPH developed in all patients with a body mass index >45 kg/m2, and the rate of SSI development was 76.9% in these patients. A statistically significant difference was found between IPH and SSI in patients (p = 0.001). Conclusion: It was found that IPH after bariatric surgery affected the development of SSI. The results confirm the relevance of intraoperative and postoperative hypothermia as an independent risk factor for SSI.