Neonatal thermal care, part II: Microbial growth under temperature probe covers

Area of Science:

• Neonatal care
• Infection control
• Medical device safety

Background:

• Nosocomial infections are a significant concern in neonatal intensive care units.
• Temperature monitoring is crucial for infant care, often involving skin-contact probes.
• The potential for medical device components to harbor microbes requires investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether temperature probe covers promote skin microbe colonization in infants.
• To compare the impact of foam versus hydrogel probe covers on microbial growth.
• To assess the effect of probe covers on infant skin integrity.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive, comparative study randomized 26 infants (29-34 weeks gestational age) into foam or hydrogel probe cover groups.
• Skin cultures were collected 72 hours post-placement, with bacterial growth quantified at 24 and 48 hours.
• Skin integrity was evaluated using visual irritation scores (VIS) after probe cover removal.

Main Results:

• No statistically significant differences in microbial growth were observed between foam and hydrogel probe cover groups (p > .05).
• Visual irritation scores (VIS) showed clinical significance, with infants using foam covers exhibiting more sustained skin irritation.
• The study found no evidence that probe covers contribute to nosocomial infections via microbial colonization.

Conclusions:

• Neither foam nor hydrogel temperature probe covers significantly increased skin microbial colonization in the studied infant population.
• Foam probe covers may lead to increased skin irritation in neonates compared to hydrogel covers.
• Further research into material biocompatibility for neonatal medical devices is warranted.