The use of an `infant thermal manikin´ for the assessment of different neonatal heating equipments for premature newborn babies

A thermal manikin with a body weight and size corresponding to those of a premature baby of 28 weeks gestation age has been constructed. The manikin´s surface (skin) temperature can be preset at different levels, and the heat loss from the manikin can be measured in terms of watts per square meter. The manikin is divided into eight different regions, which allows the simultaneous measurement of regional heat loss. The method has been evaluated by measuring regional and total heat loss from the manikin in a conventional air-heated incubator (Air-Shields C100) and in an ordinary infant cot at different air temperature settings