The effectiveness of a thermal mattress in stabilizing and maintaining body temperature during the transport of very low-birth weight newborns

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a thermal m attress in stabilizing and maintaining body temperature during the transpor t of newborns who weigh less than 1,500 g. We compared 91 infants who were transported without a thermal mattress from April 1995 to March 1996 with 1 00 infants who were transported with the use of a transport thermal mattres s (TTM) from April 1998 to October 1999. Temperature data were collected on arrival to the referring hospital, on departure from the referring hospita l, and on arrival to the tertiary neonatal intensive care unit. The finding s support that, over time, infants who were transported on a TTM had a grea ter increase or greater stability in body temperature, in comparison with i nfants who were not transported on a TTM (t = 5.1, p<.001). The data also s upported that infants on a TTM maintained body temperature during stabiliza tion and transport (F=12.33, p=.001) better than the no mattress group did (F=3.6, p=.061). Use of the TTM in the prevention of hypothermia in unstabl e environmental conditions can be extended to other areas within the hospit al when thermoregulation of the premature infant is a concern, especially t hat of very low-birth weight infants. However, hyperthermia may also be a c oncern; body temperature should be monitored to watch for it. Copyright (C) 2001 by W.B. Saunders Company.