How to Set a Cooling Blanket

Cooling blankets are used in hospitals to stabilize a patient's body temperature. Patients suffering from a fever or hypothermia will have extreme, fluctuating body temperatures that can have a detrimental effect on other body processes. Excess sweating, for example, can lead to dehydration. By setting a cooling blanket to a desired temperature, hospital staff can maintain a patient's body temperature and thereby ease some of his or her suffering.

Things You'll Need

• Cooling blanket
• Thermometer
• Rectal probe
• Tape

Show More

Instructions

• 1

  Soak the cooling blanket prior to use. Remove the blanket from the water after 15 minutes, check that it does not have any leaks and dry off any excess surface water.

• 2

  Use the thermometer to record the patient's temperature. This will be used as the baseline temperature for setting the cooling blanket.

• 3

  Connect the blanket hoses to the monitoring station. Ensure there are no kinks in the hoses and that the clamps are open. Place the cooling blanket over the patient. Put a dry sheet on top, if necessary.

• 4

  Insert a compatible rectal probe into the patient's anus. Secure the probe to the patient's leg using tape and connect it to the system cooling unit.

• 5

  Turn the system cooling unit on. Select "Manual Control Mode" and change the set point to within a 5 degrees range of the patient's baseline temperature. Press the manual control switch to confirm your selection. The blanket will be ready to use within a few minutes.