66 DOES RADIANT HEAT INCREASE THE WATER LOSS FROM THE SKIN OF NEWBORN INFANTS?

To investigate whether radiant heat increases insensible water loss, the evaporation rate from the skin (ER) was measured in term and preterm infants, both during incubator care (A and B) and when nursed under a radiant heater (C). Relative humidity in the incubator was 50 % (A) and for the preterm infants measurements were also made at a lower level of humidity (B).The ER was higher when ihe infants were nursed under the radiant heater than during care in an incubator with humidified air, but the increase in ER was not greater than expected at that lower level of humidity. Wc conclude that the water loss from the skin depends on ihe ambient vapour pressure, bolh when infants are nursed in incubators and under radiant heaters.