American Plastic Surgery & Frigid Operations?
The prominent Beverly Hills board-certified plastic surgeon Stuart Linder, M.D (who blogs at Dr. Body) and the equally prominent Beverly Hills cosmetic plastic surgeon Robert Kotler, M.D. (who blogs as Dr. Face) tell what is done about chilliness in the operating room. Dr. Body is a member of the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, while Dr. Face holds a membership in the American Academy of Facial Plastic Surgery and Reconstructive Surgery.
Perhaps you have seen Dr. Kotler on T.V.’s Dr. 90210 or Dr. Linder on The BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) programs about American plastic surgery.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Dr. Face (Dr. Kotler): I’ve noticed that some of my face lift and rhinoplasty patients, when returning for their after surgery check-up, mention how cold it was in the operating room.
Dr. Body (Dr. Linder): That’s understandable but there are some things that patients can do.
Dr. Face: I think I know where you’re going but what do you have in mind exactly?
Dr. Body: Speaking up! If a patient is in any way uncomfortable, he or she should let somebody know. There are some very good medical reasons for a patient not to be chilly but we also want your surgery to be as pleasant as possible. We have blankets available.
Dr. Face: Of course. Remember that all our procedures are done under anesthesia so the patient will be made warm by the sheets and coverings placed over him or her. So recollections of “the cold operating room” is only for the five short minutes before going to sleep. In the 1960s’, before air conditioning came into wide use in hospitals, the room could become stifling. As you observe, the huge lights produce heat and the surgeon is also encased in his surgical gowns.
Dr. Body: True enough, doctor. I personally like it cool in the operating room because bacteria grow like crazy in heat. Coolness tends to stifle any stray bacteria that have floated into the room.
Dr. Face: A very warm room can also make the surgeon groggy or work without efficiency. Back in the pre-A.C. days, surgeons have been known to drip sweat onto patients!
Dr. Body: Today, our high-tech monitors measure the patients’ temperatures, blood pressure, carbon dioxide and oxygen saturation. So patients’ body temperature can be kept at the proper level.
Dr. Face: When needed, even in the pre-op and post-op areas, we can always rig up a special warmer, known as a Bair Blanket. It’s like a very light weight sleeping bag that blows warm air down its length and over the slumbering patient. Patients love it more than electric blankets.
Dr. Body: If anesthesia did not paralyze the muscles, we could watch for goose flesh!
Dr. Face: If you tend to be “cold blooded”, ask your surgeon if it’s possible in his operating room to warm the fluids before they are transfused into you. We have little ovens to warm the intravenous fluids. Sorry, the one thing we can’t offer is a hot cup of coffee.
Dr. Body: What did we ever do without microwave ovens?
Dr. Face: Large toaster-type warmers. Now, We use them now to warm ordinary blankets.
Dr. Body: Another place that some patient body heat is lost is in body surgery. If incisions are long, as in a tummy tuck or body shaping, some heat escapes through the incisions.
Dr. Face: There are even smaller Bair devices that warm smaller areas like only the legs or only the chest.
Dr. Body: Now, if somebody would just come up with a way for stethoscopes and other instruments to be instantly warm before touching anybody’s bare flesh!
Dr. Face: Actually, I’ve seen instrument warmers for the office; certainly gynecologists use them. Another way to warm a stethoscope is the old-fashioned way: the doctor, hands washed, presses the stethoscope against the palm of his hand. That’s the ultimate low-tech warmer.
NEXT: Both Dr. Face and Dr. Body are book authors. Dr. Face’s most recent book, “Secrets of a Beverly Hills Cosmetic Surgery” about cosmetic plastic surgery can be seen online. You can also find Dr. Body’s book—The “Beverly Hills Shape” is about plastic surgery of the body and is at online bookstores.
In our next post, we’ll tell how those books came to be and why they are valuable if you are coming to Beverly Hills for rejuvenation surgery.
