Thermal Blanket to Improve Thermoregulation in Preterm Infants: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Issue 7 (September 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Hsu, Kai-Hsiang; Chiang, Ming-Chou; Lin, Shu-Wen; Lin, Jainn-Jim; Wang, Yu-Cheng; Lien, Reyin
• Is Part Of: Pediatric critical care medicine. Volume 16:Issue 7(2015)
• Publication Date: 2015-09
• Subjects: hypothermia -- intensive care -- newborn -- preterm infants -- thermal blanket -- thermoregulation; Pediatric intensive care -- Periodicals; Pediatric emergencies -- Periodicals; 618.05
• DOI: 10.1097/PCC.0000000000000447
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1529-7535

Abstract

Abstract : Objective: To determine the effectiveness of temperature-controlled thermal blanket as additional thermoprotection. Design: Randomized controlled prospective study. Setting: Single-center tertiary neonatal unit. Patients: Inborn very low-birth-weight (< 1, 500 g) infants. Interventions: Infants were prospectively assigned to thermal blanket group or control at 1:1 ratio. Additional to radiant warmers, a prewarmed blanket of Blanketrol II (Cincinnati Sub-Zero Products, Cincinnati, OH) was applied as mattress for thermal blanket group. The outcomes included temperature and blood pressure changes. We defined hypothermia as temperature less than 36°C and hypotension as mean arterial pressure less than index infant's gestational age in weeks. Measurements and Main Result: Total 80 very low-birth-weight infants were allocated, and there was no between-group demographic dissimilarity. At 30th minute, fewer infants in thermal blanket group were hypothermic (43% vs 68%; p = 0.025). These infants had significantly lower prevalence of hypotension, which associated with less dopamine use in the first 6 hours of life (25% vs 50%; p = 0.016). There was no hyperthermia more than 37.5°C episode. Conclusions: By using thermal blanket to provide additional thermal protection for very low-birth-weight infants, the degree of hypothermia was improved, which related to fewer hypotensive cases and less dopamine usage.