Every year 15 million premature babies are born in the world, which represents one in ten births. The vast majority of them require the care of an incubator, where they are kept and taken care of until they are ready to go home, some only stay in it a few days, while others, a few months.
The incubator is undoubtedly one of the greatest medical inventions of the last century, which has helped save the lives of millions of babies. We all know them or know some baby that has been in one, but have you ever wondered how this sophisticated device works. We have spoken with Dr. José Enrique Sánchez Martínez, pediatrician and neonatologist at the Vithas Parque San Antonio Hospital in Malaga, who has explained the operation of this artificial uterus.
What is an incubator?
An incubator is a key tool of neonatology units. It is a kind of crib that can be closed or open without opacities, with a comfortable mattress inside on which the newborn is placed. It also has air filters, openings to mobilize the baby, and thermoregulation and monitoring systems to control different variables.
The incubators have been a great advance in the care of babies born with problems, underweight or premature. Thanks to them, many babies have been saved who in other conditions could not have survived. The indications for a baby to be admitted to the neonatology unit and require an incubator are very varied: prematurity, low birth weight, jaundice, pulmonary immaturity, who has aspirated meconium or if you have any problem that the pediatrician considers that requires observation or special care.
Most of the latest generation incubators allow us to control the following parameters: temperature, humidity, insulation, weight control, oxygen therapy, phototherapy and constant monitoring.
In Babies and more The Clinic installs cameras in the ICU of neonates so that parents can see their premature babies 24 hours a day Incubator history
The incubator has a curious history behind, related to the raising of chickens and how the heat favored the incubation of the chicks.
In 1878 the gynecologist of Parisian origin Stéphane Tarnier modified a camera with a heater relying on a broiler incubator. He later hired Odile Martin, a chicken broiler at the zoo, to develop a team for premature newborns that managed to reduce neonatal mortality among children under 2,000 grams at birth.
At the beginning of 1900, Pierre Budín, considered by some as the father of neonatology, introduced the concept that a constant temperature for the survival of babies born before term.
At the end of World War II, thanks to modern incubators, which incorporated oxygen therapy and other advances, the infant mortality rate fell significantly between 1950 and 1988.
The incubators have continued to improve continuously to this day, equipped with the highest technology to increase the survival of premature babies.
How does an incubator work and how have they evolved?
The ultimate goal of an incubator is to create the optimal environment similar to what the baby would have if it continued in the womb. In recent years, incubators have experienced a breakthrough and have gone from being simple rooms in which the baby rested, to be able to control multiple parameters and constants of our children.
Most of the latest generation incubators allow us to control the following parameters: temperature, humidity, insulation, weight control, oxygen therapy, phototherapy and constant monitoring. In addition, the incubators have small openings for venous pathways and even to place the x-ray plates without opening the doors or manipulating the newborn.
Are all incubators the same?
No, the incubators can be closed (explained above) or open (also called "thermal cradles") that can have the same characteristics as closed ones, except for insulation and humidity.
It must be said that most neonatology units are progressively incorporating state-of-the-art incubators and logically, depending on the pathology of the baby, one or the other will be used. Generally, when the baby has an adequate weight and does not need special insulation, thermal cots will be used.
The 'Kangaroo Mother' method can replace an incubator (there is nothing better for a baby than being on top of its mother), but there are pathologies and moments of clinical evolution that require the use of the incubator.
In Babies and moreThe story of "Emilín the warrior", a great premature of 23 weeks of gestation that has come forward without sequelaeIs the 'Mother Kangaroo' method compatible with the incubator?
The 'Mother Kangaroo' method is a method that is based on keeping babies in skin-to-skin contact with your mother. It is a method that has been proven effective and easy to apply, which promotes the health and well-being of both preterm and term infants.
The origins are in Bogotá, Colombia, where the kangaroo method was developed as an alternative to incubator care, inadequate and insufficient, given to premature newborns. More than two decades of application and research have made it clear thatthe 'Mother Kangaroo' method is more than an alternative to incubator care. The clear benefits for premature babies gave way to the benefits for any other newborn.
It has been shown that the 'Kangaroo Method' has an effective impact on the control of temperature, breastfeeding and the development of emotional bonds related to all infants, regardless of their environment, weight, gestational age.
The method contributes to the humanization of neonatal care and to strengthen the emotional ties between the mother and the child regardless of the country or culture in which it is applied. By facilitating breastfeeding, the kangaroo method offers considerable advantages in cases of severe morbidity.
For all this the kangaroo method can replace an incubatorIn fact, there is no better way for a baby to be on top of his mother, but we must always keep in mind that there are pathologies and moments of clinical evolution that require the use of the incubator.
Both methods are compatible and must complement each other.Currently, most neonatology services are "humanized" and aware that parents are involved in the care of their children. It is best to find out where you are going to have your baby and know how to work in which case it would be necessary to enter the neonatal unit.
