NEONATAL INCUBATORS

S.C. Nwaneri, PhD, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Lagos.

Neonatal incubators are designed to provide a controlled environment for preterm infants[1]. Preterm is a baby born before 37 weeks of pregnancy[2]. Preterm babies often suffer from hypothermia, a condition in which their body is unable to regulate temperature. The infant incubator ensures that the temperature, humidity and ventilation are suitable to support their lives in the first few weeks of life until they are capable of living without an incubator.   

 The infant incubator creates an environment that is similar to the mother's womb that makes it possible for the preterm baby to survive outside the mother's womb. 

Important components in a typical incubator are: a heating element, temperature and humidity sensors, microcontrollers and a mattress. Some incubators also include a phototherapy device attached to them and placed at specific distance above the baby. 

All neonatal wards of hospitals should be adequately well furnished with  incubators. However, incubators are quite expensive and many hospitals in poor countries do not have any at all or the ones available are not functional. The prices of incubators vary but are usually between $1,000 - $10,000 USD depending on the quality and complexity. 


Keywords: Hypothermia, Neonatal Incubators, Phototherapy Device, Preterm Babies and Temperature.






Fig. 1: Neonatal Incubator


REFERENCES

1. Nwaneri, S.C. Sojobi, J.W. Oyelade, A.O. Ezenwa, B.N. (2020) A low cost IoT based neonatal incubator for resource-poor settings. The West Indian Journal of Engineering, 43(1):11 -20.

2. World Health Organization (2018) Preterm Birth. Retrieved June 2, 2022 from, https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/preterm-birth.


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