NICE has assessed HumiGard for preventing inadvertent perioperative hypothermia to help the NHS decide whether to use this product.
HumiGard is a device used to humidify and heat carbon dioxide gas, which is often used to fill the abdomen during keyhole surgery. Filling the abdomen with gas helps to maintain pressure and reduce the risk of complications. HumiGard can also be used in open surgery, using a specially made diffuser to surround the open surgical wound in warmed, humidified carbon dioxide gas.
Warming this gas during both open and keyhole surgery can prevent patients’ body temperatures from dropping too low (called perioperative hypothermia).
HumiGard shows promise but there is not enough evidence to support its routine use in the NHS. NICE has recommended that more research be done on how well HumiGard works compared with standard insufflation gas.
ISBN: 978-1-4731-2325-0
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