Use of the Heated Gel Mattress and Its Impact on Admission Temperature of Very Low Birth-Weight Infants

Abstract

The purpose of this investigation was to describe the ability of a transport mattress (TransWarmer Infant Transport Mattress), produced by Cooper Surgical (Trumbull, Connecticut), to reduce hypothermia in a group of very low birth-weight infants. Convenience sample of 115 infants weighing less than 1500 g who were born at Women & Infants' Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island, and admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit. A quality assurance study using a nonrandomized experimental design. Infants placed on the TransWarmer Infant Transport Mattress were compared with those treated with standard care. Charts were reviewed and data abstracted on the 115 very low birth-weight infants delivered at Women & Infants' Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island. Hypothermia was significantly lower in the mattress group than for controls (52.5% vs 77.3% using a definition of hypothermia as body temperature less than 97.4 degrees F, P = .01). The difference resulted despite the fact that the mattress group was at increased risk based on various risk factors, lower mean age (26 vs 28.5 wk, P = .001), a lower birth weight (876 vs 1091 g, P = .004), and a higher proportion of Apgar scores of less than 5 at 5 minutes (13.2% vs 6.4%, P = .29) compared with controls. A linear regression model adjusted for birth weight, gender, and gestational age showed that the use of the heated gel mattress raised body temperatures by a mean of 0.7 degrees F per infant (P < .001). The occurrence of hypothermia was significantly lower in the mattress group. The results of this investigation suggest that further research of the TransWarmer Transport Mattress is warranted using an adequately powered randomized controlled trial. Information on the safety and cost-effectiveness is needed. Long-term follow-up evaluating admission temperatures and long-term outcomes is also warranted.