Evaluation of two devices for improving thermal control of premature infants in transport

Two devices, a plastic heat shield and a chemically heated mattress, were evaluated for their ability to reduce the needed air temperature and the power requirements in air servo-controlled transport incubators. A single-walled transporter and a double-walled transporter were evaluated using a heated manikin modeled after a 1000-g baby. The plastic heat shield reduced required transport incubator air temperature by 0.7 degree in the single-walled and 0.5 degree in the double-walled incubator, but did not significantly reduce power consumption. The chemically heated mattress was more effective in reducing power consumption and required air temperature, but it was difficult to stabilize infant temperatures in an incubator without skin servo-control. The transport incubators tested have wide swings in air temperature even during stable operation, rendering them suboptimal to manage small premature infants.