Thermally controlled water-filled mattress for warming preterm infants: a physical assessment

Measurement and Control of an Incubator Temperature by Using Conventional Methods and Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) Based Temperature Sensors

Incubator is a medical device that provide a climatic environment for a newborn and a preterm infant. In the incubator environment, especially, the temperature significantly increases the survival rate of infants. In this study, the incubator air temperature, temperature uniformity and infant skin temperature were measured and controlled with conventional methods and FBG based temperature sensors, and their results and related literature results were compared among them. To this end, in addition to classical sensors, six FBG sensors were used during the measurements, and very close results were obtained between them (R² = 0.9989). In addition, since real time monitoring of the FBG bands were ensured with a user-friendly interface, measurement processes have been made more ergonomic. In this way, the insulation required for the measurements is also provided perfectly. Measurement errors caused by conventional sensors' properties, which are different for each of them, change over/with time, and also change with different values, have been minimized by using this method. Moreover, in case of increasing the number of sensors for multi-point, continuous and real time temperature measurement in conventional methods, some of the problems such as monitoring of these sensors, obstructing or changing the air flow due to the confusions of these sensors and their cables in the incubator cabinet, and following these, control errors caused by these reasons, and difficulties that may be happened during the infant care and resuscitation procedures have been eliminated. Thus, thermoneutrality in closed incubators were also able to validated and assessed fast and more accurately for preterm and neonates.

Comparative clinical evaluation of a prototype non-electric transport incubator and an electrical infant incubator in a neonatal unit

A new non-electric transport incubator has been developed for transferring babies between health facilities in developing countries. The temperature performance of this prototype was compared with a commercial electric incubator. The warm-up time for the prototype was 51.8 min, compared with 48.1 min for the electric incubator. Forty-five non-distressed premature babies, aged 24-72 h, with a gestational age of less than 37 weeks, were continuously evaluated for a 2 h period. Twenty-five babies, with a mean weight of 2073 g (range 1500-2500 g), were studied in the prototype, and 20 babies, with a mean weight of 2076g (range 1550-2500 g), were studied in the electrical incubator. The rectal and abdominal skin temperature, heart rate, oxygen saturation and respiratory rate of the babies were recorded. The temperature, oxygen and humidity level of the canopy and the room temperature were also measured. The SaO2, heart rate and respiratory rate were within the normal range (in the prototype: 96.5%, 130.5 beats min(-1) and 43 breaths min(-1), respectively; and, in the electric incubator: 96.5%, 128.5 beats min(-1) and 40 breaths min(-1), respectively). No evidence of carbon dioxide narcosis, hypoxia, acidosis or adverse thermoregulatory behaviour were observed in the two groups. The mean rectal temperature for both groups was within the range 36.5 degrees C-37.5 degrees C. There was no significant difference between the measurements of the two groups. The level of oxygen inside the canopy was 21%, and no decrease was observed. The new nonelectric transport incubator confirmed its safety and efficiency in providing a warm environment for non-distressed premature babies over a 2 h period.

Mothers' perceptions of their preterm infants treated in an incubator or on a heated water-filled mattress: a pilot study

Ten Swedish and 23 Turkish mothers delivering premature infants with a birth weight of less than 2000 g were investigated concerning their attitudes and feelings towards their newborn babies when the infants were treated either in an air-heated incubator or on a heated water-filled mattress (HWM). The first interview took place during the first few days after delivery and the second interview in the case of the Swedish study two weeks later and in the Turkish study one week later. In the first interview, feelings of fear, unreality and insecurity predominated, although significantly more so among the mothers of the incubator group. These feelings had changed strikingly by the time of the second interview among the mothers whose infants were treated on the HWM, but persisted to a large extent among the mothers whose infants remained in an incubator. The results of both investigations indicate that the mothers' perceptions of their infants improves when the prematurely born infant is treated on an HWM instead of in an incubator.