Extremely Low Birth Weight

 Study Objective: This study evaluated peripheral vasoconstriction in extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants when body temperature decreased during the first 12 h of life.

 Background: ELBW infants are vulnerable to cold stress during the transition from delivery room to intensive care. Infants produce heat by non-shivering thermogenesis (NST) and should exhibit peripheral vasoconstriction when cold, but little empirical evidence confirms that ELBW infants are capable of peripheral vasoconstriction.
Objective: This study evaluated the ability of ELBW infants weighing 400–1000 grams to exhibit peripheral vasoconstriction when body temperatures decreased.

 Objective: To explore body temperature in relationship to heart rate in extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants
during their first 12 hours to help identify the ideal set point for incubator control of body temperature.
Design: Within subject, multiple-case design.
Setting: A tertiary neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in North Carolina.
Participants: Ten infants born at fewer than 29 weeks gestation and weighing 400 to 1,000 g.

Extremely low-birthweight infants have inefficient thermoregulation due to immaturity and may exhibit cold body temperatures after birth and during their first 12 hours of life. Hypothermia in these infants can lead to increased morbidity and mortality. Anecdotal notes made during our recent study revealed extremely low-birthweight infants’ temperatures decreased with caregiver procedures such as umbilical line insertion, intubations, obtaining chest x-rays, manipulating intravenous lines, repositioning, suctioning, and taking vital signs during the first 12 hours of life.