The Heat is On

Why would it be necessary to use a transport isolette? Is it really necessary just to travel from the Labor and Delivery Unit to the NICU? Absolutely! Thermoregulation is one of the main functions of the transport isolette. A temperature probe is placed on the neonate's skin which in turn controls the air temperature of the transporter. If a baby were to become hypothermic the effects could be detrimental. The newborn could develop metabolic acidosis or Pulmonary Hypertension. Cold stressed infant's are also at risk for developing hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). When an infant is cold, oxygen consumption is increased, blood oxygen levels will begin to fall. In addition to relying on the transporter for warmth, a porta-warm (chemical thermal) mattress or warmed blankets from a blanket warmer are used. For extremely low birth weight babies we also place their bodies in a zip-loc bag for transport (not for freshness or storage). Next time I will discuss other functions of the transport isolette.

All in One

Last time I discussed technology in the NICU. Specifically the Giraffe Omnibed, the combination of a warmer and incubator. I would like to go one step further and discuss the transport incubator or isolette.
The first newborn transport icubator was made by J.L. Pragel in 1949. It looked like a stainless steel toolbox. It had a hinged lid with handle on top. There was two little sliding plexiglass viewing windows on the top. As well as a thermometer inside the lid.
The transport isolette we use today is basically a mobile NICU. It provides thermoregulation support. Cardiorespiratory support which monitors heart rate, rhythm and respirations. Pulse oximetry which tells use what the oxygen level in the blood is. Blood pressure monitoring both invasive and non-invasive. Oxygen and ventilator support. It also supports fluid infusion. What a drastic change since 1949. For my next post I will discuss how and why the transport isolette is used.