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Overnight central and peripheral temperature changes in normal infants

D M Tappin1, R P K Ford, B Price

  • 1Department of Paediatrics, Christchurch School of Medicine, Otago University, Christchurch, New Zealand. goda11@udcf.gla.ac.uk

Acta Paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992)
|November 6, 2003
PubMed

Insights

Infant rectal temperature drops after sleep onset, correlating with a rise in shin temperature. This inverse relationship may aid cardiovascular stability in early infancy.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal physiology
  • Infant thermoregulation

Background:

  • Understanding infant temperature regulation is crucial for assessing health.
  • Peripheral and central temperature dynamics in infants are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between central (rectal) and peripheral (shin) body temperature in healthy infants.
  • To examine temperature changes after infants are put down to sleep.

Main Methods:

  • Continuous overnight recording of shin and rectal temperatures in 21 infants.
  • Data collected over three nights at 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 5 months of age.
  • Parental documentation of feeding and nappy changes.

Main Results:

  • An initial fall in rectal temperature occurred on most nights (149/161).
  • Rectal temperature fall inversely correlated with shin temperature rise in 71% of these nights (median R²=0.95).
  • A similar inverse relationship was observed during 92% of feed/nappy changes.

Conclusions:

  • The observed rectal temperature drop may result from heat redistribution, not decreased production or loss.
  • The developing inverse relationship between peripheral and central temperatures could be vital for infant cardiovascular homeostasis.
  • Further research is needed to differentiate sleep-onset temperature changes from those due to altered thermal insulation.
Abstract

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