Research from the research utilization project: environmental temperatures.

Thermoregulation is one of the most common concerns for neonatal nurses. The literature contains limited information regarding the effects of environmental temperature during the transitioning process from the incubator to the crib for the premature infant weighing 1,500-1,800 g. The type and amount of insulation while in the incubator and open crib and the effects of the cooler environmental temperature may influence the success of the weaning process from the incubator. As an adjunct to the Transition of the Preterm Infant to an Open Crib Research Utilization Project, sponsored by the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN), nurses collected data regarding environmental temperatures at 6 of the 10 project sites. The average correlation of infant's temperature to environmental temperature once the infant was out of the incubator for a weaning period was 0.09. In one-third of the cases, the environmental temperature never varied; however, in the rest of the infants, mean infant temperatures during weaning stayed constant, with little variance. There appears to be no association between neonatal intensive-care unit environmental temperature and infant's temperature during the weaning process when nurses followed a specific protocol of layering the infant with blankets.

Evaluation of thermal cooling mechanisms for laser application to teeth.

Experimental cooling methods for the prevention of thermal damage to dental pulp during laser application to teeth were compared to conventional treatment in vitro. Pulp temperature measurements were made via electrical thermistors implanted within the pulp chambers of extracted human third molar teeth. Experimental treatments consisted of lasing without cooling, lasing with cooling, laser pulsing, and high-speed dental rotary drilling. Comparisons of pulp temperature elevation measurements for each group demonstrated that cooling by an air and water spray during lasing significantly reduced heat transfer to dental pulp. Laser exposures followed by an air and water spray resulted in pulp temperature changes comparable to conventional treatment by drilling. Cooling by an air water spray with evacuation appears to be an effective method for the prevention of thermal damage to vital teeth following laser exposure.