Active warming after caesarean section to prevent neonatal hypothermia: a systematic review

Abstract

There is a lack of evidence on the effects of perioperative warming on maternal and neonatal outcomes in women undergoing elective caesarean section who are performing at-birth skin-to-skin contact. This study aimed to provide a systematic review of the current evidence base on the effects of perioperative warming versus no warming. Inclusion criteria included randomised controlled trials involving pregnant women ≥18 years old undergoing an elective caesarean section at term under regional anaesthesia and who initiated at-birth neonatal skin-to-skin contact. Studies investigated active warming versus no active warming interventions. Three studies were included, with a total of 286 participants. Active warming of women resulted in significantly less occurrence of neonatal hypothermia, with no difference in maternal hypothermia. Perioperative active warming of mothers and newborns who had skin-to-skin contact may be beneficial. The quality of the included studies was low, so the review findings should be interpreted with caution. High quality studies with larger sample sizes need to be undertaken.