Experience of the use of a thermal blanket in preterm infants in the delivery room and hypothermia at NICU admission
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Abstract
Introduction: Thermoregulation is a challenge, especially for preterm infants, and hypothermia is associated with worse neonatal outcomes. Objective: To describe the effect of using a thermal blanket in the delivery room, combined with double cloth caps for the head and plastic caps covering the head and body, on the occurrence of hypothermia in preterm infants. Methods: A before-and-after study that included a convenience sample of 60 preterm infants <34 weeks gestational age and birth weight <1,500g (March 2021-March 2022), who were admitted to neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) immediately after birth, was conducted to report the experience after the implementation of a protocol of use of a thermal blanket in the delivery room combined with the use of double cloth caps for the head and plastic caps covering the head and the body. Groups were compared by Mann-Whitney and Fisher's exact tests for the outcome of hypothermia at admission. Results: Implementation of the protocol increased the median temperature at NICU admission (36.2°C vs 35.6°C; p=0.01), did not reduce the frequency of hypothermia at NICU admission (70.9% vs 89.6%; p=0.07), and did not result in hyperthermia. The time to normalize axillary temperature before the protocol was 218 minutes and after, 70 minutes (p=0.05). Conclusion: The use of the thermal blanket was safe, and the experience reported an increased axillary temperature with thermal blanket use, did not cause hyperthermia, did not reduce hypothermia, and had a mild impact on time to normalize axillary temperature.
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