Duration of skin-to-skin care and rectal temperatures in late preterm and term infants

Darjan Kardum; Edward F. Bell; Boris Filipović Grčić; Andrijana Müller

doi:10.1186/s12884-022-04983-7

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Duration of skin-to-skin care and rectal temperatures in late preterm and term infants

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Duration of skin-to-skin care and rectal temperatures in late preterm and term infants

Darjan Kardum, Edward F. Bell, Boris Filipović Grčić and Andrijana Müller

BMC pregnancy and childbirth, Vol.22(1), 655

08/20/2022

DOI: 10.1186/s12884-022-04983-7

PMCID: PMC9392909

PMID: 35987566

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Abstract

Background Hypothermia during the newborn period is widely regarded as a major contributory cause of significant morbidity and mortality of newborn infants. Thermoprotective behaviours such as skin-to-skin care (SSC) or the use of appropriate devices have been recommended as simple tools for the avoidance of neonatal hypothermia. We examined the relation between the duration of skin-to-skin care and infant temperature change after birth in suboptimal delivery room temperatures. Methods We reviewed the medical charts of all vaginally born infants of gestational age ≥ 35 weeks born January-July 2018 and admitted to the well-baby nursery. After SSC was discontinued, the infant’s rectal temperature was measured to determine the frequency and severity of hypothermia. Results The charts of 688 vaginally born infants were examined. Our mean delivery room temperature was 21.7 (SD 2.2) °C, well below the WHO recommendation of 25 °C. After SSC 347 (50.4%) infants were normothermic (temperature 36.5–37.5 °C), 262 (38.0%) were mildly hypothermic (36.0-36.4 °C), and 79 (11.4%) were moderately hypothermic (32.0-35.9 °C). The mean skin-to-skin time in infants was 63.9 (SD 20.9) minutes. SSC duration was associated with increase in rectal temperature for patients of gestational ages ≥ 38 weeks and with decrease in rectal temperature in patients of gestational age < 38 weeks. Conclusion SSC is effective, even at suboptimal delivery room temperatures, for promoting normothermia in infants of ≥ 38 weeks’ gestation but may not provide adequate warmth for infants of < 38 weeks.

Birth

Body temperature regulation

Delivery rooms

Hypothermia

Skin-to-skin care

Details

Title: Subtitle: Duration of skin-to-skin care and rectal temperatures in late preterm and term infants
Creators: Darjan Kardum - University of Osijek
Edward F. Bell - 200 Hawkins Drive, 52242 Iowa City, IA USA
Boris Filipović Grčić - Kišpatićeva 12, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia Šalata 3, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Andrijana Müller - J. Huttlera 4, 31000 Osijek, Croatia J. Huttlera 4, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: BMC pregnancy and childbirth, Vol.22(1), 655
DOI: 10.1186/s12884-022-04983-7
PMID: 35987566
PMCID: PMC9392909
NLM abbreviation: BMC Pregnancy Childbirth
ISSN: 1471-2393
eISSN: 1471-2393
Publisher: BioMed Central
Language: English
Date published: 08/20/2022
Academic Unit: Stead Family Department of Pediatrics; Neonatology
Record Identifier: 9984354037902771

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