Trans Epidermal Water Loss (TEWL)
Conditions
Keywords
Preterm, VLBW, Coconut Oil application, Trans epidermal water loss, Weight gain
Brief summary
The skin of newborn infants is immature and ineffective as a barrier. Preterm skin exhibits even more vulnerability to the environment due to poor self regulatory heat mechanisms, paucity of fatty tissue and its thinness. Most preterm babies lose up to 13% of their weight as water loss from their skin during the first week of life. Many strategies have been utilized by neonatologists to decrease this water loss. Oil application on the skin can act as a non permeable barrier and can help in reducing water loss from the skin. Edible coconut oil, often used for traditional massage of babies by Indian communities, is culturally acceptable and Hence the investigators decided to undertake this study to objectively assess the reduction in water loss from skin after oil application
Interventions
Four ml coconut oil application twice daily for first week
OTHERNo oil application
Oil application was not done
Sponsors
All India Institute of Medical Sciences
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
12 Hours to 168 Hours
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
All preterm babies born at the study center with birth weight \< 1500gms were eligible for inclusion in the study.
Exclusion criteria
1. Babies with birth weight less than 750 gms at birth 2. Babies with major congenital malformations. 3. Babies with severe asphyxia, hydrops and shock. 4. Babies with congenital diseases of skin associated with skin breach or denudation of skin precluding oil application 5. Babies with preexisting skin infection such as multiple furuncles (2 or more skin areas - each limb, head, chest, abdomen and back are the individual areas that will be taken as one area
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Trans Epidermal Water Loss(TEWL) | first 7 days of life | TEWL was measured using evaporimeter(Vapometer, Delfin Technologies limited, Kuopio, Finland) at 12 hours of age and thereafter every 12 hours during the first week of life (168 hrs of life) |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | Weight first 7 days of life and 40 weeks postmenstrual age | The weight of the neonate was recorded at birth and daily during the first week of life. The weight in grams and weight gain in grams/kilogram/day was measured at 40 weeks post conceptional age. |
| Skin condition Score | Skin condition Score at day 7 of life | Skin Condition Score was measured using 'Lane and Drost' Score.This score has 9 scores from 1 to 9, 1 depicting the best skin state and 9 the worst with erythema, blistering & oozing over the entire area. |
| Skin colonization pattern | Skin colonization pattern at day 7 of life | The skin swab cultures were sent after 1week of life to assess for skin colonization |
Countries
India
Outcome results
None listed