[Postoperative hypothermia: role of the nurses' aide in ensuring the patient's well-being and comfort]

Non-induced hypothermia is caused by anesthetic techniques, surgical procedures, and the environmental temperature in operating rooms, which affect the body's physiologic thermoregulation mechanisms. Postoperative hypothermia occurs in 93% of surgical patients and is accompanied by shivering in 65% of cases. Non-induced hypothermia affects the patient's postoperative recovery, as it alters metabolic response and reduces the patient's comfort during this period. Within the protocol for controlling postoperative hypothermia, the main objective of the nurses' aide consists of detecting and recording postoperative hypothermia, as well as of correcting the deficit by means of active warming of the body's external surface. These activities not only aid the patient's recovery and reduce complications, but also lower healthcare costs and increase postoperative comfort.

Topical tacrolimus 0.1% ointment (protopic) reverses nickel contact dermatitis elicited by allergen challenge to a similar degree to mometasone furoate 0.1% with greater suppression of late erythema

The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of topical tacrolimus 0.1% under occlusion for 48 h to suppress nickel-elicited allergic contact dermatitis in a randomized, petrolatum- and mometasone furoate 0.1% ointment-controlled double-blind, intra-individual study which included 28 women volunteers. 3 closed patch tests (Finn Chambers on Scanpor, Epitest Ltd Oy, Tuusula, Finland) containing 0.1 ml of 5% nickel sulfate in petrolatum were applied on day 0. After removal on day 2, the study compounds were applied under occlusion for 48 h. The eczema reaction and the degree of erythema were evaluated clinically and by reflectance spectrophotometry at days 4 and 7, respectively. Mean visual scores corresponding to petrolatum-treated sites were significantly higher than those corresponding to both mometasone furoate and tacrolimus at days 4 (P < 0.001) and 7 (P < 0.001). In both tacrolimus- and mometasone furoate-treated sites, there was a significant decrease in visual scores with time (P < 0.001) from day 2 to day 7, and the corresponding mean decreases in scores were 0.73 and 1.04, respectively. The difference between both was 0.30 in favour of tacrolimus (95% confidence intervals, -0.04 and 0.65), although this did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.084). Mean erythema index values were similar at day 2. Significant differences among treatment sites were seen at days 4 (P < 0.001) and 7 (P < 0.001). The decrease was significantly more pronounced on day 7 in patches where tacrolimus had been supplied (P < 0.5). This method might provide useful means to compare different concentrations and/or presentations of tacrolimus or other calcineurin inhibitors and topical anti-inflammatory agents.