Quantifying Heat Balance Components in Neonates Nursed under Radiant Warmers during Intensive Care

Abstract

Thermoregulation is considered a top priority in neonatology due to the fact that relative to adults, neonates have a morphological susceptibility to excessive heat exchange with the environment, and exhibit limited physiological/behavioural responses to thermal strain. Consequently, the environmental conditions in which they are nursed must be tightly regulated to maintain body temperature stable. Neonatal intensive care units (NICU) use radiant warmers (RW) to thermally manage many newborns. However, recent evidence suggests that RW induce intermittent bouts of thermal strain that could adversely affect patients. This warrants further investigation of neonatal heat balance and the pertinent factors affecting it. Conducting an exhaustive audit of heat exchanges affecting the body during standard care under a RW could yield important information that would lead to the improvement of clinical practice in NICUs. The present thesis focuses on neonatal thermoregulatory responses, various body heat exchange mechanisms and processes during standard care under RW.