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Obstructive Sleep Apnea Respiratory Humidification Neonatal NZ Distributed
Neonatal


Product Catalogue
Infant Warming
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Infant Warmer Clinical

Why Infant Warming is Vital

Immediately after delivery the newborn baby experiences some degree of thermal instability as it moves from the warm stable environment of the mother's womb to the cooler environment of the delivery room. Research has shown that any significant fall in the baby's temperature will increase mortality risk1.

Immediately After Delivery

  • A newborn baby has around four times greater capacity to lose heat than an adult.

  • A newborn baby will lose heat via radiant and convective losses to the cooler environment, evaporative losses through the skin and conductive losses to cooler surfaces.

  • A full-term baby's temperature can fall by 1 to 2°C over 30 minutes2.

The Result of Cold Stress

  • Rapid cooling will produce cold stress that can increase the baby's metabolism and oxygen consumption and this may eventually lead to hypoxia.

  • The effects of cold stress can be reduced if the baby is promptly returned to thermal stability after delivery with safe, powerful and controlled radiant warming.

The Thermal Neutral Zone

  • Thermal stability is essential for every baby, especially those with limited metabolic capacity due to illness, prematurity or low birthweight.

  • Both heat stress and cold stress can result in the baby using more of their limited metabolic capacity for thermoregulation and less for growth and survival.

  • For optimal thermal stability the baby's temperature must be kept within the Thermal Neutral Zone. Research has shown that the Thermal Neutral Zone for preterm babies less than 30 weeks, is less than 0.5°C3.

  • Once stabilized in the Thermal Neutral Zone, energy expenditure and oxygen consumption is minimized promoting optimal growth.

Reference:

  1. Richardson et al (2001) SNAP-II and SNAPPE-II: Simplified newborn illness severity and mortality risk scores. J. Paed:38:92-100
  2. Fanaroff and Martin (2002) Neonatal - Perinatal Medicine, Diseases of the Fetus and Infant.7th Edition:1:423-425
  3. Wheldon and Hull (1983) Incubation of very immature Infants. Archives of Disease in Childhood.
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