Patients with major burn injuries are prone to hypothermia, potentially resulting in an increase in mortality and length of hospital stay. Burn patients exhibit profound hypermetabolism and lose the ability to thermoregulate, rendering them susceptible to hypothermia.

Hypothermia in surgical patients can be the result of a long surgery duration, general anaesthesia and a low temperature in theatre. Hypothermia is a problem that should be prevented in surgical patients, due to the serious issues that it can cause.