The Benefits Of Cot-Nursing Compared To Incubator Care For Preterm Infants

The Cochrane report into cot-nursing versus incubator care for preterm infants concludes that cot-nursing using a heated mattress has similar effects to incubator care with regard to temperature control and weight gain.  

The Cochrane review considered the results of five trials carried out on 247 preterm babies.  It can be viewed by clicking on the link: http://www.cochrane.org/CD003062/NEONATAL_cot-nursing-versus-incubator-care-for-preterm-infants

To provide the warmest environment possible, prematurely born infants are usually nursed in incubators but using cots allows parents to have easier physical contact with their baby. This early skin-to-skin contact is important in parent-baby bonding. Other benefits include breastfeeding, which can start sooner, and the possibility of early discharge – thereby reducing treatment costs.  Decreasing the number of incubators needed also has cost-saving advantages for hospital trusts. 

When using cots in place of incubators, additional warmth is needed to maintain a baby’s body temperature. The Kanmed Baby Warmer offers unique non-incubator support to neonates at much lower birth weights, with similar outcomes to incubator care.  Designed to allow a gentle warmth transfer from the mattress to the baby, the Kanmed Baby Warmer is clinically proven to help babies from 1000 grams maintain their core temperature and achieve normothermia. The Kanmed Baby Warmer is available with a choice of water or gel mattresses. Water is considered to provide the ultimate efficiency, while the gel option offers convenience.

The Kanmed Baby Warmer is a safe and cost-effective alternative to incubator care, with more than 15,000 units in use worldwide. Over the past 30 years, more than two million small and premature babies have been efficiently warmed using the Kanmed water mattress. In the UK, the Kanmed Baby Warmer is exclusively available from Central Medical Supplies (CMS).

For advice on baby warming, along with Kanmed product information, contact Sarah Ward, Brand and Product Manager at Central Medical Supplies, on 01538 399 541 or email sarah.ward@centralmedical.co.uk. Alternatively, you can find out more by visiting www.centralmedical.co.uk