Related Experiment Videos
Temperature and heater responses during transition between radiant and incubator thermal environment in newborn
S M Touch1, J S Greenspan, A B Cullen
1Division of Neonatology, Jefferson Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, 1025 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA. Suzanne.Touch@mail.tju.edu
Objective:
Although both incubators and radiant warmer beds can provide thermal support to infants in the neonatal intensive care unit, the transition between devices can be a stressful event. The goal of this study was to evaluate a new device that combines these methods of warming and converts between them without requiring physical movement of the infant.
Study Design:
Twin preterm lambs received thermal support from a radiant warmer bed and an incubator (control), or from the Versalet 7700 Care Center (treatment) in the warmer and incubator configurations. Temperature of each lamb, as well as device heater power, were monitored every 2 min before, during, and after the transition. Physiological parameters were monitored every 15 min.
Results:
There was a significant difference in response time between closed-open and open-closed conditions for both groups. More adverse events occurred in the control group during transfers. There were no differences in temperatures or physiological variables during transitions in either group.
Conclusions:
These data suggest the Versalet provides similar thermal stability to traditional devices, with fewer adverse events associated with the lack of physical movement between warming configurations. The impact of this device on the care of the preterm neonate will be evaluated in a clinical trial.