THE EFFECT OF ROUTINE HOSPITAL-CARE ON THE HEALTH OF HYPOTHERMIC NEWBORN-INFANTS IN ZAMBIA

A prospective cohort study was carried out at the University Teaching Hospital, Lusaka, Zambia, to investigate the prevalence of neonatal hy pothermia, type of infant care and incidence of mortality. Two-hundred -and-sixty-one infants, aged 0-7 days, admitted to the pediatric unit during the 'warm' season were recruited to the study. Forty-four per c ent of the infants were hypothermic (<36 degrees C) on admission, and admission hypothermia correlated to admission weight and home delivery in the youngest age group (0-24 hours). Exclusively breastfed infants (age group 1-7 days) were less likely to be hypothermic at admission. 'Hypothermia' was not recorded as an admission diagnosis and no speci al attention was given to those infants in terms of clinical managemen t, Mean time to reach a body temperature above 35.9 degrees C did not differ between infants kept in a cot and in an incubator. Total number s of death was 82 (31 per cent) and the mortality was higher in infant s who were hypothermic at admission compared to those those who were n ot. This study demonstrates that a change existing care routines neede d.