Forced Air vs. Conductive Heating: What's the Difference?

When it comes to patient warming solutions in surgical settings, healthcare professionals are increasingly turning to methods that prioritise infection control, patient safety and operating room efficiency. Two common types of warming systems - forced air warming and conductive heat warming - offer different benefits and drawbacks.

In this article, we'll compare the two, highlighting why conductive heating patient warming solutions are becoming an increasingly popular choice in modern operating theatres.

What Are Patient Warming Systems and Why Are They Important?

Preventing hypothermia is crucial in perioperative settings for reducing surgical complications, improving recovery times and enhancing overall patient outcomes. As such, patient warming systems are essential tools in perioperative care, helping maintain a patient’s core body temperature during surgery. 

Two of the most common types of warming systems that are currently available and used by various hospitals include:

• Forced air warming systems
• Conductive heating systems (such as warming mattresses or blankets)

Each offers a different method of heat delivery and varies in terms of safety, efficiency and cost.

What Is Forced Air Warming?

Forced air patient warming systems use a blower unit to circulate warm air through a disposable blanket placed over the patient. While this technique is widely used, it presents some limitations:

• Air movement may compromise sterile fields.
• Disposable blankets increase hospital waste and operational costs.
• Blower noise can disrupt communication and concentration during critical procedures.

What Is Conductive Heat in Patient Warming?

Conductive patient warming involves direct contact with a heated surface - typically through a warming mattress or blanket. These systems typically use a silent and reusable system to deliver consistent and even temperature control, simply requiring a mains power connection to operate.

The mattresses and blankets used in these systems come available in various sizes to meet various patient needs depending on the surgery being carried out. For example, you might use a full length mattress or a three-quarter length mattress, which could be used with a full body blanket or a blanket that covers just the arms and chest.

Conductive Heat vs. Forced Air: Side-by-Side Comparison

Benefits of Conductive Heating Patient Warming Solutions

1. Infection Control

Conductive heat systems don't generate any airflow, significantly reducing the risk of airborne contaminants circulating in the operating room. This makes them ideal for:

• Orthopaedic surgeries
• Plastic and reconstructive procedures
• Any sterile or infection-sensitive environment

By avoiding air movement, conductive systems help maintain sterile surgical fields - a major advantage over forced air systems.

2. Silent Operation

Unlike forced air blowers, the conductive heating systems can be completely silent. This creates a quiet, distraction-free operating environment where surgical teams can communicate clearly and focus on precision, which is especially critical during complex or long-duration procedures. Alternatively, forced air uses blowers that can be noisy and distracting.

3. Seamless Draping Compatibility

Conductive warming mattresses lie beneath the patient, ensuring unobstructed access to the surgical site and allowing precise surgical drape placement. This is also a benefit when it comes to patient positioning, as it adapts easily to most surgical positions without needing adjustment, ensuring uninterrupted warming even during surgeries where repositioning is required mid-procedure.

Since forced air blankets tend to be placed over the top of a patient's body, this can instead interfere with patient draping, making them less compatible with more intricate procedures.

4. Reusable and Sustainable

Conductive heating solutions are fully reusable, simply needing a mains power connection in order to operate. Equally, they don't require any disposable components, unlike the blankets used with forced air systems. This can help to significantly reduce hospital waste and cut down on recurring expenses, making it a cost-effective and environmentally-friendly patient warming system.

5. Consistent, Targeted Temperature Delivery

Conductive systems deliver even and stable warmth throughout the mattress or blanket being used, eliminating the hot or cold spots that can sometimes be seen with forced air warming. This ensures greater patient comfort and more predictable thermal management throughout the procedure.

When Is Forced Air the Better Choice?

While conductive heating systems are becoming increasingly popular, forced air warming may still be useful in certain scenarios, such as:

• Emergency or field situations where rapid setup and portability are critical
• Procedures where patients are at a higher risk of hypothermia (e.g. children or elderly individuals)
• Surgeries where the patient is in the Trendelenburg position
• In facilities where the existing infrastructure is built around forced air systems

Ultimately, the best solution depends on the procedure, environment and available resources.

Is Conductive Heat the Future of Patient Warming?

Conductive heating systems certainly pose a number of benefits as sustainable patient warming solutions - especially when compared to forced air alternatives. These benefits include:

• Optimal infection control for high-sterility environments
• Silent operation that enhances team focus and communication
• Eco-friendly, cost-saving design
• Even, reliable temperature regulation

With this in mind, for hospitals and surgical centres with a focus on infection prevention, environmental sustainability and clinical efficiency, conductive heating patient warming solutions could be advantageous over traditional forced air systems. While forced air warming systems still have their place, the silent, consistent and sterile performance of conductive systems certainly makes them an increasingly popular long-term choice.

If you're interested in learning more about the capabilities and benefits of patient warming systems that use conductive heat, then don't hesitate to check out the products we have available, including the Medwarm Patient Warming Mattress and Blankets, and the Safewarm Patient Warming Mattress and Blankets. Alternatively, you can get in touch with us today for more information - we'll be happy to help!