Practice variation in the transfer of premature infants from incubators to open cots in Australian and New Zealand neonatal nurseries: Results of an electronic survey

Transferring preterm infants from incubators to open cots at 1600 g: a multicentre randomised controlled trial

“…Some nurseries target incubator air temperatures of 29°C 1. We noted a decrease in incubator air temperature with increasing postnatal age, which is consistent with the influence of postnatal skin maturation 17.…”

“…There is a plethora of information on providing neutral thermal environments for preterm infants but little to guide practice on when to transfer infants from incubators to open cots. Practice variation exists between continents, regions and nurseries in the same countries 1 2. A target weight, largely based on tradition or the professional experience of clinicians,3 of 1700–1800 g has been used as a measure for transferring infants from incubators to open cots 4.…”

Surgery and magnetic resonance imaging increase the risk of hypothermia in infants

“…An under‐developed thermoregulatory system predisposes sick and preterm infants to increased hypothermic risk . For this reason, well‐supported evidence‐based thermal management practices exist in the NICU and these translate to high rates of normothermia in the NICU. The finding that transient management in the OT and MRI environments, and transport between the NICU increased the risk of hypothermia to 50% was not surprising.…”

Collodion baby: An update with a focus on practical management

“…39 At our institution, the decision for incubator weaning is individualized. Typically, the infant is transferred to an open crib when there is adequate caloric intake, appropriate weight gain, and absence of complications associated with the impaired skin barrier.…”