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Skin Care of Infants Born at 21-23 Weeks' Gestation
Amy A Hobson1, Rebecca C Davila1, Kerri Goers1
1University of Iowa, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Iowa City, Iowa.
Insights
Caring for extremely premature infants (21-23 weeks gestational age) requires specialized skin care due to their underdeveloped skin barrier. This review offers an expert guide to improve outcomes through infection prevention and careful management.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care
- Dermatology
- Premature infant health
Background:
- Neonatal centers increasingly care for infants at 21-23 weeks gestational age (GA).
- The immature skin barrier in this GA increases risks of water loss, infection, and injury.
- Current skin care practices require enhancement for this vulnerable population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide an expert-based guide for routine skin care in extremely premature infants (21-23 weeks GA).
- To address the challenges associated with the underdeveloped skin barrier in this population.
- To focus on key areas including infection prevention, fluid/nutrition management, and injury avoidance.
Main Methods:
- This is an expert and experience-based review.
- Focuses on practical, evidence-informed recommendations.
- Synthesizes current knowledge on neonatal skin care for extremely preterm infants.
Main Results:
- Highlights the critical need for a proactive, standardized, multidisciplinary approach to skin care.
- Details strategies for managing insensible water loss and nutritional needs.
- Emphasizes techniques to minimize skin injury and prevent infections.
Conclusions:
- Optimized skin care is crucial for improving the health outcomes of infants born at 21-23 weeks GA.
- A standardized, multidisciplinary approach can mitigate risks associated with immature skin.
- This guide provides actionable recommendations for neonatal care providers.
Abstract:
As more neonatal centers are caring for premature infants at 21-23 weeks' gestational age (GA), a growing need for improved practices related to routine skin care exists. Approach to skin care in this GA is challenging because the skin barrier is not completely formed at this developmental stage, leading to an increased risk of insensible water loss; increased sodium and nutritional requirement; and greater susceptibility to injury, infection, and temperature instability. Effective skin care in this population requires a proactive, standardized, multidisciplinary approach. In this review, we describe an expert and experience-based guide for skin care in this population with a focus on infection prevention, fluid and nutrition management, avoidance of injury, and routine skin care.
