Rewarming rate of hypothermic neonates in a low-resource setting: a retrospective single-center study

BackgroundHypothermic neonates need to be promptly rewarmed but there is no strong evidence to support a rapid or a slow pace of rewarming. This study aimed to investigate the rewarming rate and its associations with clinical outcomes in hypothermic neonates born in a low-resource setting.MethodsThis retrospective study evaluated the rewarming rate of hypothermic inborn neonates admitted to the Special Care Unit of Tosamaganga Hospital (Tanzania) in 2019–2020. The rewarming rate was calculated as the difference between the first normothermic value (36.5–37.5°C) and the admission temperature, divided by the time elapsed. Neurodevelopmental status at 1 month of age was assessed using the Hammersmith Neonatal Neurological Examination.ResultsMedian rewarming rate was 0.22°C/h (IQR: 0.11–0.41) in 344/382 (90%) hypothermic inborn infants, and was inversely correlated to admission temperature (correlation coefficient −0.36, p