Blood Warming in Preterm Infants to Decrease Hypothermia
Preterm Birth, Blood Transfusion Complication, Hypothermia
About this trial
This is an interventional prevention trial for Preterm Birth
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
- Any infant born at PRISMA Health Richland hospital
- less than 32 weeks gestational age by obstetrical dating as indicated in the electronic medical chart
- admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit receiving one PRBC transfusion within the first month of life.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Infants having neurological anatomical abnormalities or major brain hemorrhage (Grade III or IV), because neurological damage can interfere with thermal control.
Sites / Locations
- Kayla EverhartRecruiting
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
No Intervention
Active Comparator
Standard care
Intervention
Standard care/Control group: The nurse will receive the PRBC transfusion from the Blood Bank. As standard care, there are no deliberate procedures for warming PRBC transfusions in this NICU. The syringe of blood may sit outside the incubator for some time and as such, will warm to the environmental ambient temperature while transfusing into the infant using a standard pump. The transfusion will be given over 4 hours, per the clinician's orders. The bedside nurse will document transfusion start and stop times, and route, on the study document at the bedside. The infant will end study participation 24 hours after the PRBC transfusion is complete to verify that all temperature data have been received and are valid.
Intervention group: Once a nurse receives the PRBC from the Blood Bank, the nurse will obtain a specialized tubing and use a commercial PRBC warming device, the Ranger blood warmer (3M Healthcare, Oakdale, Minnesota) to deliver the PRBC transfusion to the infant. The unit contains highly responsive aluminum heating plates that distribute heat quickly, which responds to flow changes with even and consistent heat. The plate temperature is monitored 4 times per second and is accurate within 1°C (3M Healthcare, Oakdale, Minnesota). The Ranger blood warmer meets the American Association of Blood Bank (AABB) guidelines for warming blood. All times and information associated with the PRBC transfusion will be recorded on the bedside study document. The transfusion will be given over 4 hours, per the clinician's orders. The infant will end study participation 24 hours after the PRBC transfusion is complete to verify that all temperature data have been received and are valid.