Continuous monitoring using thermography can capture the heat oscillations maintaining body temperature in neonates

Abstract

The body temperature of infants at equilibrium with their surroundings is balanced between heat production from metabolism and the transfer of heat to the environment. Total heat production is related to body size, which is closely related to metabolic rate and oxygen consumption. Body temperature control is a crucial aspect of neonatal medicine but we have often struggled with temperature measures. Contactless infrared thermography (IRT) is useful for vulnerable neonates and may be able to assess their spontaneous thermal metabolism. The present study focused on heat oscillations and their cause. IRT was used to measure the skin temperature every 15 s of neonates in an incubator. We analyzed the thermal data of 27 neonates (32 measurements), calculated the average temperature within specified regions, and extracted two frequency components—Components A and B—using the Savitzky–Golay method. Furthermore, we derived an equation describing the cycle—named cycle T—for maintaining body temperature according to body weight. A positive correlation was observed between cycle T and Component B (median [IQR]: 368 [300–506] s). This study sheds light on the physiological thermoregulatory function of newborns and will lead to improved temperature management methods for newborns, particularly premature, low-birth-weight infants.