Investigation of the HotDog, polymer resistive patient warming device

Active patient warming devices are often used during surgery, with two common classes: forced-air and resistive heating. The HotDog patient warmer (models B104 and U102; Augustine Biomedical & Design LLC, Eden Prairie, Minnesota, USA) falls into the latter category, using an electric current to heat a resistive polymer blanket. We were concerned by two reports submitted to the Database of Adverse Event Notifications (medical devices), describing patient burns associated with use of the HotDog warmer. This study investigated the accuracy of the HotDog temperature control when used according to manufacturer’s instructions in a non-faulty device. Our secondary aim was to investigate the temperatures and gradients across the HotDog blanket if the device were inadvertently used outside of the manufacturer’s instructions.