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Am J Perinatol 2005; 22(1): 25-33
DOI: 10.1055/s-2004-837265
Copyright © 2005 by Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc., 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

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
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Publication Date:
11 January 2005 (online)

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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

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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