The effects of warmed carbon dioxide pneumoperitoneum nursing care on core body temperature, acid-base balance, and lymphocytes in older patients with cancer in Korea: a randomized controlled trial.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to examine the effects of warmed carbon dioxide pneumoperitoneum nursing care on core body temperature, acid-base balance, and lymphocyte levels in older patients with cancer undergoing laparoscopic surgery. METHODS: A total of 55 patients with colorectal cancer were prospectively randomized and analyzed, including 29 in the intraperitoneal CO2 gas heating group and 26 in the non-heating group. Data were analyzed using the t-test, chi-square test, and repeated-measures analysis of variance. RESULTS: Significant differences were observed between the experimental and control groups in body temperature (F = 2.47, p = .010), acid-base balance (F = 2.39, p = .015), and lymphocyte percentage (F = 4.45, p = .002) during laparoscopic surgery. CONCLUSION: Warmed carbon dioxide pneumoperitoneum was more effective in preventing intraoperative hypothermia induced by general anesthesia than non-heated gas. These findings suggest that this intervention may be beneficial for older patients with cancer undergoing laparoscopic surgery.