What strategy is used to reduce infection risk by addressing perioperative temperatures in arthroplasty?

• A. Maintain normothermia with warming blankets and warmed fluids
• B. Allow hypothermia to impair immunity
• C. Avoid monitoring core temperature
• D. Keep room cold without warming

Answer: (A)

Maintaining normal body temperature during arthroplasty is used to reduce infection risk by preserving tissue oxygen delivery and immune function at the wound site. When a patient becomes hypothermic, blood vessels constrict and tissue oxygen tension drops, which impairs neutrophil function and slows wound healing, increasing the chance of infection around the implant. Using warming blankets and warmed fluids helps keep core temperature stable, supporting better immune response and healing. Keeping the room cold, not warming, or letting hypothermia occur would promote infection risk rather than reduce it, and not monitoring core temperature can miss dangerous drops that need correction.