Conception d’un logiciel de calcul de la thermoneutralité dans les incubateurs fermés pour nouveau-nés prématurés (projet Pretherm®)

Abstract

ObjectivePreterm neonates should be nursed in a closed incubator and at appropriate incubator air temperatures and humidities, in order to increase their chances of survival and reduce their length of stay in the intensive care unit. At present, these “thermoneutral” conditions do not take account of all the thermal parameters involved in neonate's cooling. The project is led under the ANR TecSan call. It aims to create and validate a software for assessing thermoneutrality in closed incubators for preterm neonates completely. MethodsWe have written software that models the neonate's thermal balance. It considers all the pathways for heat losses from the neonate by accounting for physiological and morphological criteria that are highly specific for this population. ResultsPretherm® software evaluates the optimal incubator air temperature and humidity for each preterm neonate on a daily basis. It also takes account of the neonate's state of clothing (i.e. a diaper in the presence or absence of a hat and nest), birthweight and postnatal age. The software also defines the critical air incubator temperatures above which the neonate runs a risk of hyper- or hypothermia within the coming hour. ConclusionOur software serves as a decision support tool for physicians and should improve the standard of care provided to neonates at a high risk of functional impairments after birth. Clinical validation of the software is in progress, with an analysis of the medical and physiological criteria that reflect the neonate's vital functions.