Servo-controlled thermoregulation in extreme preterm and Extremely low birth weight infants during neonatal transport

What is it about?

Extremely preterm and extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants are prone to severe hypothermia and standard practices may not be adequate for temperature control during inter-hospital transfers. Transwarmer mattresses carries a risk of serious burns and a safety warning has also been issued by BAPM recently about its use. Maintaining normothermia is vital during stabilisation and transport. In a quality improvement (QI) project regarding thermal care in extremely preterm and extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants using a servo-controlled device with mattress (SCDM) during neonatal transport we have demonstrated that normothermia rates improved from 33% (12/36) at initiation of SCDM to 86% (31/36) on arrival at the accepting unit (p<0.001). SCDM can be safely and effectively used to improve thermal stability in these infants.

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