Drager Air-Shields Isolette C450 QT Infant Incubator

General Information About Incubators

What is an incubator?

• Used mainly to keep a baby’s core temperature stable at 37 degrees Celsius.
• Also humidifies the air
• Can add extra oxygen.

Physiology

• Core temperature of the body needs to be kept at a constant temperature of 37 degrees Celsius
• If temperature goes too high or too low - organs can be damaged
• Premature babies have undeveloped nervous systems and also lack the energy to regulate their own temperature – the need for an incubator
• Small babies can be given a small amount of food for growth. Need for use of all of their energy for growth rather than wasting it on keeping warm - so sometimes incubator is used to help them grow faster

Parameters Controlled

• Temperature
• Oxygen
• Humidity levels

Indications of Use

• Prematurity
• Congenital feebleness - Infants of fair size are sometimes born weak and with poor resistance, shown by subnormal temperature, slight cyanosis, the tendency to edema
• Edema - Premature infants are not seldom subject to a general edema, beginning at the feet. An incubator is the quickest way to relieve the condition
• Cyanosis, with or without edema, due to feeble circulation, is very common with small infants, and sometimes present with those at full term. Warm, moistened, oxygenated air of incubator does wonders in these cases
• Subnormal temperature
• After difficult operative deliveries, the baby is often in a condition of shock leading to asphyxia. Violent efforts to revive it should be limited to a minimum, and the infant placed as soon as possible in the incubator

Working with an incubator

• The temperature in the incubator is increased/decreased by a heater element below the mattress in the chamber
• Motor driven fan near the heater draws in fresh air through a filter and blows it past the heater, warming the air
• Air is directed up through slots into the area above the mattress and circulated around
• Air temperature is monitored by temperature sensors (Air Temperature Sensor) and is adjusted by controlling the current to the heater
• Incubator can also monitor the baby’s skin temperature by using a skin temperature probe (Patient Probe), which is stuck onto the skin
• User can either set the incubator to control the temperature of the air or to control the temperature of the baby’s skin (servo control mode)
• Supplementary oxygen can be taken in by an oxygen inlet connection where it is mixed with the fresh air through the filter
• Humidity can be increased by the use of water baths (passive humidification) or by dripping water on a heated element (active humidification)
• Baby is cared for through special access doors called arm ports.

Types of Incubators

• Regular Incubators
• Where there is minimal mobility
• Used in hospitals
• Clinics
• Transport Incubators
• An advance infant health care equipment for the care of infant patients
• Typically include an incubator provided with a wheeled base which is equipped with life support and monitoring instrumentation, oxygen tanks and other emergency care supplies
• Used for moving ill or injured infants to hospital and have proven valuable in sustaining the lives of infants during transport
• Used in Ambulances, Air Planes etc. for transport of infant