The effectiveness of an infant warmer is primarily based on its temperature regulation. A phase-change material keeps a child’s body temperature within a defined range. The more generous’s temperature is measured every 15 minutes during the first hour of use and then every hour during the following two hours. When it reaches the “warmer endpoint,” it is considered to be in the euthermia range. The material’s temperature varies according to the type of infant.
The study nurse used a thermistor to monitor the temperature of the infant and the warmer. She measured the infant’s temperature every half hour until the child reached euthermia, then every hour after that. In addition to measuring the infant’s temperature, she collected information about the infant’s clothing. The study found that the warmer increased the newborn’s temperature significantly and reduced the infant’s risk of hypothermia by more than 50%.
The study’s results showed that a third of the participants had no adverse reactions to the warmer. It was because their infants were not exposed to the electric heat source. A fourth of the infants had an adverse reaction to the more generous. However, the infant warmers were still practical. Infant warmers are still an excellent tool for low-income countries. These products have the potential to save thousands of infant lives. So why not develop a better alternative?
The Infant Warmer is an invention developed by Stanford students. This non-electric miniature sleeping bag has a removable wax insert that can be reused hundreds of times. The heated pouch will remain between 37 and 35 degrees Celsius for at least four hours. When the infant remains in the warm pocket, the phase-change material will absorb the warmth from the baby and release it into the air. Rural clinics and other settings can also use these warming devices.
The Embrace warming device was created in 2007 as a class project at Stanford University. Now, the company manufactures the warmers in India and sells them for a fraction of the cost of standard incubators. The company is part of a global NGO called Thrive Networks, which uses evidence-based innovations to improve the lives of families in the Southeast Asian region. The goal is to eliminate neonatal death through infant warming.
The iRes warm is an innovative baby warmer that uses the latest i-sense technology to provide a radiant heat source for hypothermic babies. The infant warmer comprises several components, including a heat source, a skin-temperature sensor, an automatic control unit, and aural and visual alarms. Because the warmer generates radiant heat energy, it’s safe to use in a hypothermia emergency. The department limits conductive losses and allows for easy monitoring of blood oxygen levels.
To evaluate the effectiveness of an infant warmer, researchers conducted a study to determine the optimal temperature. A non-electric warmer was combined with kangaroo mother care (KMC) to provide external heat for newborns. The infants were already hypothermic or at risk of hypothermia. Infants were tested in two different scenarios – using the warmer with KMC and as a sole source of external heat. The temperatures of the infant and the air were measured during each phase of the study, up to six hours.
