Hypothermia in infants: the important factors

ABSTRACT

A prospective consecutive observational study over a period of six months was conducted in thepediatric surgical theatre of Hamad General Hospital, Qatar, on infants aged one day to one year who required general anesthesia with or without regional anesthesia. It was found that neonates [aged 1-29 days] had difficulty in maintaining a stable body temperature despite various methods of promoting warmth. Infants [aged 1-12 months] undergoing major surgery were more exposed to hypothermia than those in minor surgery. Causes of hypothermia were multifactorial