Premature Infants Are Less Capable of Maintaining Thermal Balance of Head and Body with Increases of Thermal Environment than with Decreases

Georg Simbruner; Eva-Maria Ruttner; Andreas Schulze; Katharina Perzlmaier

doi:10.1055/s-2004-837265

American Journal of Perinatology, Table of Contents

Am J Perinatol 2005; 22(1): 25-33
DOI: 10.1055/s-2004-837265

Premature Infants Are Less Capable of Maintaining Thermal Balance of Head and Body with Increases of Thermal Environment than with Decreases

Georg Simbruner¹ , Eva-Maria Ruttner² , Andreas Schulze³ , Katharina Perzlmaier⁴

¹Department of Neonatology, Leopold Franzens University, Innsbruck, Tyrol, Austria
²Department of Radiology, Klinikum Schwabing, Munich, Germany
³Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Neonatology, Klinikum Grosshadern, Ludwig-Maximilian University, Munich, Germany
⁴Department of Pediatrics, Ludwig-Maximilian University, Munich, Germany

Abstract

ABSTRACT

We investigated whether premature infants nursed at the upper range of normal body temperature are more capable of maintaining their nasopharyngeal and rectal temperature when exposed to a 1°C increase or a 1°C decrease of incubator temperature. In a randomized controlled trial, premature infants were exposed to a 1°C increase (T + 1°C; n = 10), or to a 1°C decrease (T - 1°C; n = 10) of incubator temperature. Nasopharyngeal, rectal, and skin temperatures as well as heat flux at various sites, heart rate, and activity were measured over a 6-hour period. The absolute changes in core temperatures, T _nasoph and T _rectal, were significantly greater in the T + 1°C compared with T - 1°C (T + 1°C versus T - 1°C: T _nasoph 0.44 ± 0.31°C and 0.18 ± 0.14°C respectively; p < 0.001; T _rectal 0.43 ± 0.30°C and 0.25 ± 0.10°C, respectively; p < 0.01) when exposed to the increase or decrease in incubator temperature. Premature infants are less able to cope with increases in incubator temperature given that rectal and nasopharyngeal temperature change more when environmental temperature is increased.

KEYWORDS

Temperature regulation - premature infant

Full Text

References

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George SimbrunerM.D.

Professor of Pediatrics and Neonatology, Department of Neonatology, Leopold-Franzens University

Anichstrasse 35, A-6020 Innsbruck

Tyrol, Austria