A scientific way to create an environment with suitable temperature and humidity to increase the survival rate of immature babies and facilitate the growth and development of high-risk newborns. 

Babies Who Require Incubators:

1. Babies whose birth weight is below 2500G.
2. Abnormal newborns: newborns with scleredema and low body temperature.

 Conditions for Babies Leaving the Incubator

1. Babies with a birth weight above 2500G and normal body temperature.
2. The child can maintain a normal body temperature in an unheated incubator where the room temperature is at 24-26°C.
3. Babies living in the incubators for more than one month whose weight is less than 2500G, but with a good general condition.

Preparation

After receiving the notice from the delivery room, preheat the heating box. Generally, the temperature can be stabilized after powering on for about 2 hours.

Item Preparation

Its performance should be checked to ensure safety. Clean, disinfect and lay the crib in the box before use.

What Nurses need to Prepare

Understand the babies’ gestational age, birth weight, and age, measure vital signs, check general conditions, estimate common nursing problems in advance, and wash hands before the operation.
Prepare the newborn’s single clothes, coats and diapers.

Environmental Preparation

Adjust the room temperature to 24~26°C to avoid the disappearance of radiant heat. Avoid placing the incubator near direct sunlight, convection or heating equipment, so as not to affect the temperature control in the box.

Operation Steps

1. Wipe the incubator clean and add distilled water to the incubator tank to the water level.

2. Turn on the power switch to adjust the preheating temperature to 28~34°C. The preheating temperature can be raised to the set temperature. After receiving the premature infant, the appropriate temperature will be adjusted according to the weight, gestational age, and illness. The humidity should be maintained at 55% to 65%.

Incubator Temperature Reference for Premature Infants with Different Birth Weights

3. Put the baby in a single coat, wrap it in a diaper, and place it in an incubator. Adjust the temperature according to the weight and age of the child. If the temperature is abnormal, cover it with bedding, but do not block the vent.

4. Measure the body temperature once an hour and record the temperature of the incubator at the same time. Adjust the temperature of the incubator according to the baby’s body temperature. Gradually increase or decrease the temperature in the box to keep the patient’s body temperature in the normal range. If the body temperature is stable, the measurement can be changed for 2 hours 1 time.

5. All nursing operations should be carried out in the incubator as much as possible, such as changing diapers, breastfeeding, changing body positions, observing the condition and checking, etc. The side door should be opened or the operation should be extended from the stomata. Try to avoid opening the lid to avoid excessive temperature fluctuations in the box. When necessary, such as: when weighing or rescuing, it should be covered with a blanket or operated on an infrared radiation table.

6. Cleaning and disinfection of the incubator:

• Scrub the inside and outside of the incubator with disinfectant every day, and then scrub it with clean water.
• The water in the humidifier water tank is changed once a day to prevent bacteria from breeding.
• In addition to wiping with disinfectant, the incubator used every week needs to be irradiated with ultraviolet light for 30 minutes, and the baby mattress is exposed for 6 hours. Bacteria culture should be carried out on a regular basis to check the quality of cleaning and disinfection. The warm box should be moved out and the ward should be thoroughly disinfected to prevent cross-infection.
• The air purification pad under the chassis is cleaned once a month, if it is damaged, it should be replaced.
• For premature babies whose birth weight is less than 1000G, all items in the box should be autoclaved.
• The incubator should be placed in a dry and ventilated place, and it should be covered with a cloth to prevent dust accumulation.

Precautions for using the incubator

1. Strictly implement the operating procedures and regularly check for faults to ensure absolute safety.
2. Observe the effect of use at any time during use. If the incubator sends out an alarm signal, find the cause in time and deal with it properly.
3. It is strictly forbidden to raise the temperature of the incubator suddenly to avoid adverse consequences caused by the rise in the temperature of the baby.
4. Workers must wash their hands before operation, inspection, and contact with babies in the box to prevent cross-infection.
5. Keep the incubator clean, change it once a week, and regularly cultivate bacteria.
6. The incubator should not be placed where there is direct sunlight or convective wind, so as not to affect the temperature control in the box.

Note: The usage situation varies from country to country, the content is for reference only.