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Influence of Variations in the Ambient Humidity on Insensible Water Loss and Thermoneutral Environment of Low Birth Weight Infants
Author(s) -
SAUER PIETER J. J.,
DANE HUIB J.,
VISSER HENK K. A.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
acta pædiatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/j.1651-2227.1984.tb09984.x
Subject(s) - humidity , medicine , water vapor , relative humidity , zoology , respiratory rate , vapour pressure of water , heart rate , chemistry , meteorology , blood pressure , biology , physics , organic chemistry
Total evaporative water loss, transepidermal as well as respiratory water loss was measured in 8 infants on day 1, 11 infants from day 2 to 8 and 8 infants after day 8. Measurements were performed at two levels of humidity, either vapor pressure of 16 or 25 mmHg (2133 or 3333 Pa). Evaporative water loss was 40 % lower at the higher humidity. Neither metabolic rate nor body temperature showed a significant difference between the two levels of humidity. The effect of the change in humidity on the neutral thermal environment was calculated, the neutral temperature being 0.05°C lower when the vapor pressure is increased by 1 mmHg (133.3 Pa). We conclude that a high humidity is of limited value in nursing infants born after 30–40 weeks