Body Size, Cerebral Blood Flow, Ambient Temperature, and Relative Brain Temperatures in Newborn Infants under Incubator Care

Abstract

Subtle changes in body temperature affect the outcomes of ill newborns. However, the temperature profile of neonatal brains remains largely unknown. In open-cot care, increased cerebral perfusion is correlated with higher superficial brain temperatures. This study investigated the dependence of brain temperature (relative to rectal temperature) on ambient temperature, body size, cerebral perfusion, and metabolism in infants receiving incubator care. Rectal, scalp, and brain temperatures, superior vena cava flow, and brain oxygenation were assessed using echocardiography, thermo-compensatory temperature monitoring, and near-infrared spectroscopy in 60 newborns. These infants had a mean postconceptional age of 36.9 (2.2) weeks and weighed 2348 (609) g at the time of evaluation. The ambient temperature was maintained at 30.0 (1.0) °C. A higher rectal temperature was associated with greater postconceptional age (p = 0.002), body weight (p < 0.001), and head circumference (p < 0.001). Relative scalp, superficial brain, and deep brain temperatures were associated with smaller head circumference (p < 0.001, p = 0.030, and p = 0.015, respectively) and superior vena cava flow (p = 0.002, p = 0.003, and p = 0.003, respectively). In infants receiving incubator care, larger head sizes and increased brain perfusion were associated with lower relative scalp and brain temperatures. When considered alongside previous reports, cerebral perfusion may contribute to maintaining stable cerebral tissue temperature against ambient temperature changes.