Prevention
Hypothermia can be prevented by immediately drying and then swaddling the neonate (including the head) in a warm blanket to prevent evaporative, conductive, and convective losses. Preterm very-low-birth-weight infants also benefit from a polyethylene occlusive wrapping at the time of delivery. A neonate exposed for resuscitation or observation should be placed under a radiant warmer to prevent radiant losses. Sick neonates should be maintained in a neutral thermal environment to minimize the metabolic rate. The proper incubator temperature varies depending on the neonate’s birth weight and postnatal age, and humidity in the incubator. Alternatively, heating can be adjusted with a servomechanism set to maintain skin temperature at 36.5° C.