title: A pilot study to examine maturation of body temperature control in preterm infants.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To test instrumentation and develop analytic models to use in a larger study to examine developmental trajectories of body temperature and peripheral perfusion from birth in extremely low-birth-weight (EBLW) infants.
  
  
  METHODS
  A case study design.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study took place in a Level 4 neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in North Carolina.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four ELBW infants, fewer than 29 weeks gestational age at birth.
  
  
  METHODS
  Physiologic data were measured every minute for the first 5 days of life: peripheral perfusion using perfusion index by Masimo and body temperature using thermistors. Body temperature was also measured using infrared thermal imaging. Stimulation and care events were recorded over the first 5 days using video which was coded with Noldus Observer software. Novel analytical models using the state space approach to time-series analysis were developed to explore maturation of neural control over central and peripheral body temperature.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results from this pilot study confirmed the feasibility of using multiple instruments to measure temperature and perfusion in ELBW infants. This approach added rich data to our case study design and set a clinical context with which to interpret longitudinal physiological data.
authors.forename: Robin B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Knobel
authors.forename: Janet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Levy
authors.forename: Laurence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Katz
authors.forename: Bob
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Guenther
authors.forename: Diane
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Holditch-Davis
mesh_terms: D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000502:physiology; D001831:Body Temperature / Q000502:physiology; D001833:Body Temperature Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007035:Hypothermia / Q000517:prevention & control; D007186:Incubators, Infant; D052577:Infant, Extremely Low Birth Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007259:Infrared Rays; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal; D015931:Intensive Care, Neonatal / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D017283:Neonatal Nursing / Q000379:methods; D009657:North Carolina / Q000453:epidemiology; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011247:Pregnancy; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D014741:Video Recording
keywords: Body Temperature Regulation; Hypothermia; Neonatal; Physiological Processes; Pilot Projects