Using polyethylene plastic bag to prevent moderate hypothermia during transport in very low birth weight infants: a randomized trial.

Objective: Hypothermia remains a significant problem among very low birth weight (VLBW) infants. The use of occlusive polyethylene plastic bags immediately after birth has been proven to be effective for preterm infants to reduce hypothermia. This study aims to determine whether placing VLBW infants in plastic bags during transport reduces hypothermia.

Study Design: Study infants were randomly assigned to a standard thermoregulation protocol or to a standard thermoregulation protocol with placement of the torso and lower extremities inside a polyethylene plastic bag during transport. The primary outcome measures were axillary temperature before and after transport and the occurrence of moderate hypothermia upon neonatal intensive care unit admission.

Result: The 108 VLBW infants recruited into the study were randomized to the plastic bag (n = 54) group or to standard group (n = 54) and had similar baseline characteristics. VLBW infants in the plastic bag group had a lower rate of moderate hypothermia (3.7 vs 27.8%; risk ratio 0.10; confidence interval 0.02-0.46; P < 0.001) and higher axillary temperatures (36.4 ± 0.4 °C vs 35.9 ± 0.9 °C; P = 0.001) upon NICU admission compared to infants receiving standard care.

Conclusion: Placing VLBW infants in polyethylene plastic bags during transport reduces the occurrence of hypothermia, especially moderate hypothermia.