Assessment of reducing the humidity of the incubator to improve the skin of premature infants with surgical wound

Abstract

Background

Due to the fragile skin of preterm infants, the risk of postoperative incision infection is higher. Too high humidity in the incubator can affect the postoperative wound healing of premature infants. To explore the effect of reducing the environmental humidity in the incubator on the postoperative wound healing of premature infants, so as to provide more scientific and effective nursing strategies for premature infants.

Methods

From January 2023 to March 2024, premature infants admitted to the SICU of Xiamen Children's Hospital in China after abdominal surgery were selected. According to the random number generated by the computer, all patients were randomly divided into the experimental group and the control group. The humidity of the incubator was set according to the gestational age and weight of the infants in the control group, and the humidity was reduced by 10 % on this basis in the experimental group. The number of colonies on the surface of incubator rubber ring, door handle and mattress were compared between the two groups before operation, 24 h and 7 days after operation. The scores of NSCS on the day before surgery, the 3rd and 8th day after operation, the number of colonies in the tip of nose, neck, umbilical region and perianal region, skin infection, skin healing were also compared. Body weight on the 1st and 2 nd week after operation, and urine volume on the 1st, 3rd and 7th day after operation were compared between the two groups.

Results

NSCS of the experimental group and the control group on the 8th day after operation were statistically different (P < 0.05). NSCS in experimental group on the 8th day after operation was smaller than that on the 1st day before operation, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). There were 2 cases of incision infection in the experimental group and 4 cases in the control group, all of which were limited to incision infection and did not involve deep tissues. The incision healing time of the experimental group was significantly shorter than that of the control group (P < 0.001). There was a significant difference in perianal bacterial load between the two groups on the third day after surgery (P = 0.001). No bacteria were detected in the three parts of the incubator in the experimental group and the control group before operation. The number of bacterial colonies measured in the rubber ring of the experimental group was higher than that of the control group at 24h after operation, but the rest of the total number of bacterial colonies was lower than that of the control group, and the difference between the two groups at three different sites was especially significant at 7d after operation. The weight of children in both groups increased significantly within the first and second postoperative weeks, with statistically significant intra-group differences (P < 0.001). The urine output of children in both groups showed an increasing trend on the 1st, 3rd, and 7th postoperative days, with statistically significant intra-group differences (P < 0.001).

Conclusion

This study support the safety and efficacy of reducing the humidity of the incubator on the skin and surgical wound healing of preterm infants after surgery. Reducing humidity not only helps to reduce the skin bacterial load and the risk of incision infection, but may also promote wound healing. It is recommended to consider adjusting the humidity settings of the incubator in the care of postoperative preterm infants to optimize their postoperative recovery environment.