World Health Organization : Year 1997 ; World Health Organization, Reproductive Health(Technical Support), Maternal and Newborn Health-Safe Motherhood, No. 97.2: Safe MoThe Rhood Thermal Protection of the Newborn ; A Practical Guide

By World Health Organization

Book Id: WPLBN0000092882
Format Type: PDF eBook
File Size: 7.0 MB
Reproduction Date: 2005

Title:	World Health Organization : Year 1997 ; World Health Organization, Reproductive Health(Technical Support), Maternal and Newborn Health-Safe Motherhood, No. 97.2: Safe MoThe Rhood Thermal Protection of the Newborn ; A Practical Guide
Author:	World Health Organization
Volume:
Language:	English
Subject:	Health., Public health, Wellness programs
Collections:	Medical Library Collection, World Health Collection
Historic Publication Date:
Publisher:	World Health Organization


Citation APA MLA Chicago Organization, W. H. (n.d.). World Health Organization : Year 1997 ; World Health Organization, Reproductive Health(Technical Support), Maternal and Newborn Health-Safe Motherhood, No. 97.2. Retrieved from http://www.gutenberg.us/

Description
Medical Reference Publication

Excerpt
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Thermal protection of the newborn is the series of measures taken at birth and during the first days of life to ensure that the baby does not become either too cold (hypothermia) or too hot (hyperthermia) and maintains a normal body temperature of 36.5- 37.5C (97.7-99.5F). The newborn infant regulates body temperature much less efficiently than does an adult and loses heat more easily. The smaller and more premature the baby, the greater the risk. After birth, the wet newborn irnmediately starts losing heat and unless heat loss is prevented, hypothermia will develop. Hypothermia of the newborn occurs throughout the world and in al1 climates and is more common than believed. This condition is harmful to newborn babies, increasing the risk of illness and death. The temperature of the environment during delivery and the postnatal period has a significant effect on the risk to the newborn of developing hypothermia. In general, newborns need a much warmer environment than an adult. The smaller the newborn, the higher the temperature needs to be.

Table of Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 THERMAL PROTECTION OF THE NEWBORN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 1.1 What is thermal protection of the newborn? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 1.2 How the newborn loses heat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 1.3 The optimal thermal environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 1.4 The warm chain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 1.5 The warm chain in institutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 1.6 Thewarmchainathome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 1.7 Measuring or assessing the nenrborn's temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 2 . HYPOTHERMIA IN THE NEWBORN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 2.1 Effects and signs of hypothermia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 2.2 Causes and risk factors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 2.3 Distribution and incidence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 2.4 Management of hypothermia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Management in hospital . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Management at home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 3 . HYPERTHERMIA IN THE NEWBORN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 3.1 Effects and signs of hyperthermia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 3.2 Causes and prevention of hyperthermia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 3.3 Management of hyperthermia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 4 . THERMAL PROTECTION OF LOIV BIRTH WEIGHT AND SICK NEWBORNS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 4.1 Warm rooms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 4.2 Radiant heaters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 4.3 Heated water-filled mattress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 4.4 Light-bulb heated cots or beds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 4.5 Air heated incubators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 0 Monitoring the temperature of babies in incubators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Cleaning incubators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 4.6 Kangaroo-mother care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Advantages of kangaroo-mother care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 How to practise kangaroo-mother care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 4.7 Keeping low birth weight newborns warm at home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 4.8 Keeping newborns warm during transportation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 5 . IMPLEMENTING THERMAL PROTECTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 6 . REFERENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 ANNEX: THERMAL PROTECTION OF THE NEWBORW: A SUMMARY GUIDE i-xxi