Effect of delivery room temperature on the admission temperature of premature infants: a randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVE: To determine if increasing delivery room temperature to that recommended by the World Health Organization results in increased admission temperatures of preterm infants. STUDY DESIGN: Admission rectal temperatures of newborns <= 32 weeks gestation delivered in rooms with temperature set at 24 to 26 degrees C were compared with those of similar newborns delivered in rooms with temperature set at 20 to 23 degrees C. RESULT: Premature newborns delivered in rooms with mean temperature 25.1 +/- 0.6 degrees C (n=43), compared with those delivered in rooms with mean temperature 22.5 +/- 0.6 degrees C (n=48), had a lower incidence (34.9% vs 68.8%, P<0.01) of admission rectal temperature <36 degrees C and higher admission rectal temperatures (36.0 +/- 0.9 degrees C vs 35.5 +/- 0.8 degrees C, P<0.01). This difference persisted after adjustment for birth weight and 5 min Apgar score. CONCLUSION: Increasing delivery room temperatures to that recommended by the World Health Organization decreases cold stress in premature newborns. Journal of Perinatology (2013) 33, 264-267; doi:10.1038/jp.2012.100; published online 2 August 2012