Caring for and protecting the skin of pre-term neonates

Infant skin-cleansing product versus water: a pilot randomized, assessor-blinded controlled trial

BACKGROUND

The vulnerability of newborn babies' skin creates the potential for a number of skin problems. Despite this, there remains a dearth of good quality evidence to inform practice. Published studies comparing water with a skin-cleansing product have not provided adequate data to inform an adequately powered trial. Nor have they distinguished between babies with and without a predisposition to atopic eczema. We conducted a pilot study as a prequel to designing an optimum trial to investigate whether bathing with a specific cleansing product is superior to bathing with water alone. The aims were to produce baseline data which would inform decisions for the main trial design (i.e. population, primary outcome, sample size calculation) and to optimize the robustness of trial processes within the study setting.

METHODS

100 healthy, full term neonates aged <24 hours were randomly assigned to bathing with water and cotton wool (W) or with a cleaning product (CP). A minimum of bathing 3 times per week was advocated. Groups were stratified according to family history of atopic eczema. Transepidermal water loss (TEWL), stratum corneum hydration and skin surface pH were measured within 24 hours of birth and at 4 and 8 weeks post birth. Measurements were taken on the thigh, forearm and abdomen. Women also completed questionnaires and diaries to record bathing practices and medical treatments.

RESULTS

Forty nine babies were randomized to cleansing product, 51 to water. The 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the average TEWL measurement at each time point were: whole sample at baseline: 10.8 g/m(2)/h to 11.7 g/m(2)/h; CP group 4 weeks: 10.9 g/m(2)/h to 13.3 g/m(2)/h; 8 weeks: 11.4 g/m(2)/h to 12.9 g/m(2)/h; W group 4 weeks:10.9 g/m(2)/h to 12.2 g/m(2)/h; 8 weeks: 11.4 g/m(2)/h to 12.9 g/m(2)/h.

CONCLUSION

This pilot study provided valuable baseline data and important information on trial processes. The decision to proceed with a superiority trial, for example, was inconsistent with our data; therefore a non-inferiority trial is recommended.

Incidence and risk factors of pressure ulcers in seven neonatal intensive care units in Japan: a multisite prospective cohort study

This study aims to clarify (i) the incidence of pressure ulcers in neonates admitted to the neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) and (ii) risk factors of pressure ulcer development. All infants admitted to the NICU and kept in incubators from seven hospitals during the study period were recruited to the study. Each infant was given skin examination every day by nurses, and risk factors were collected three times a week by one researcher. The incidence of the pressure ulcers was calculated, and the risk factors for pressure ulcers were determined by using univariate and multivariate analysis. Eighty-one infants were involved in the study. A total of 14 pressure ulcers occurred in 13 infants during the 11-month study period, the incidence was 0·01 persons per day and cumulative incidence rate was 16.0%. Seven (50·0%) of 14 pressure ulcers were located on the nose. Multivariate analysis identified the following risk factors: skin texture (Dubowitz neonatal maturation assessment scale: skin texture score of 1 point or lower) [odds ratio 7·6; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1·58 -36·71, P = 0·012] and endotracheal intubation usage (odds ratio 4·0; 95% CI 1·04-15·42, P = 0·042).