Neonatal Hypothermia In Tehran, Iran: Incidence, Severity And Death Rate

Background:In 1958, Silverman demonstrated that maintenance ofbody temperature reduces mortality in low birth weight infants. From the early 1990s it was already recognized that adequate environmental warmth was essential in the case of newborns. However, neonatal hypothermia continues to be a significant issue in developing countries. Methods: In order to describe the incidence and severity of hypothermia after delivery and to determine the possibility ofrelatedmortalityrisk among neonates in a tettiary nursery, we measured the body temperature on admission of 898 consecutive inborn infants after birth by a low-reading thermometer. Body temperature less than 36.5°C was designated as 'hypothermia' . In such cases the infants were re-warmed according to WHO recommendations. Their body temperature was checked and recorded every hour and their final outcome was noted. Results: The overall incidence of hypothermia was 53.2%. 456 (i.e., 50.2% of) infants had mild hypothermia (35> T> 36.5) while 22 (2.5%) of them had moderate to severe hypothermia (T