Personal warming systems and apparatuses for use in hospitals and other
settings are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a heating pad for warming a patient
during a hospital procedure can include a heating element and a patient support
portion. The heating element can include one or more radiolucent, or at least generally
radiolucent, features. The radiolucent features can include conductive paths supported
by a flexible substrate. The conductive paths can include conductive yarns oriented
in linear and/or non-linear patterns on the flexible substrate. In one aspect of
this embodiment, the conductive yarns can include conductive strands having a metallic
plating, such as silver plating.