BACKGROUND

A few reports on prevention and correction of inadvertent hypothermia in parturient and postpartum women, the need to clarify definitions of this condition and heterogeneous evidence on effectiveness of methods for its correction inspired this review.

OBJECTIVE

To expand data on prevention and correction of inadvertent hypothermia in obstetrics.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Five databases (from January 1990 to May 2025) were searched for publications on active and passive warming methods for parturient and postpartum women. Eligibility criteria (PCC): (P) — population: women in labor and postpartum women regardless of urgency and method of delivery, (C) — concept: inadvertent hypothermia, warming methods, (C) — context: correction of hypothermia in context of blood loss, postpartum hemorrhage, coagulopathy. Types of sources: primary studies, meta-analyses, ScR, guidelines. Source management: Mendeley Desktop, review management: Rayyan. An iterative EXCEL form was developed for data extraction. ScR protocol registered: INPLASY202580010.

RESULTS

The ScR included 40 publications from 19 countries. The term “inadvertent perioperative hypothermia” was the most common (unintentional, unintended, or accidental hypothermia). Most studies included healthy women who had undergone cesarean section under regional anesthesia. The most common methods for active warming were warming of infusion solutions (75%), convective blankets (37%), and combinations of these methods (45%). Preoperative active warming is indicated in 58% of sources. The incidence of postpartum hemorrhage was recorded in four studies, but none assessed the incidence of coagulopathic bleeding.

CONCLUSION

Multimodal strategy of active warming initiated before delivery and continued in intraoperative and postoperative period is optimal. The effect of hypothermia on blood loss in context of postpartum hemorrhage remains virtually unexplored. Further research may allow hypothermia to be considered as a factor aggravating obstetric blood loss.