Elsevier

Seminars in Neonatology

Volume 5, Issue 4, November 2000, Pages 281-287
Seminars in Neonatology

Regular Article
Clinical consequences of an immature barrier

https://doi.org/10.1053/siny.2000.0014Get rights and content

Abstract

The epidermal barrier is well developed in the term infant. It is poorly developed in the most immature infants, leading to three major effects: high transepidermal water loss (TEWL), percutaneous absorption, and trauma. A high TEWL leads to poor temperature control and difficulty in fluid balance: it can and should be reduced by manipulating the ambient humidity or by covering the skin. Topical antiseptics should be used sparingly and with care to prevent toxic damage from absorption. The chances of trauma can be reduced by careful choice of monitoring probes and adhesives. Since the epidermal barrier develops rapidly in the postnatal period, these effects only cause problems in the first week or two of life.

References (24)

  • L Glass et al.

    Effect of thermal environment and calorie intake on head growth of low birthweight infants during late neonatal period

    Arch Dis Child

    (1975)
  • KH Marks et al.

    Oxygen consumption and insensible water loss in low birth weight babies

    Pediatrics

    (1977)
  • Cited by (95)

    • Nursing care of infants born extremely preterm

      2022, Seminars in Fetal and Neonatal Medicine
    • Incubator humidity and temperature control in infants born at 22–23 weeks' gestation

      2022, Early Human Development
      Citation Excerpt :

      TEWL is different between the two groups. By giving the difference in the management, it aimed at the management in which there was no difference in TEWL and IWL-s. High humidity leads to low TEWL and IWL-s and prevents heat loss [12]. High humidity is also associated with less TFI and urine output and a lower incidence of hypernatremia during the first week [13].

    • Diagnosis, Risk Factors, Outcomes, and Evaluation of Invasive Candida Infections

      2018, Infectious Disease and Pharmacology: Neonatology Questions and Controversies
    View all citing articles on Scopus
    f1

    Correspondence to: Nicholas Rutter, Academic Division of Child Health, School of Human Development, University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK.

    View full text