• C Deguines, P Décima, A Pelletier, L Dégrugilliers, L Ghyselen, and P Tourneux.
• Médecine Néonatale et Réanimation Pédiatrique Polyvalente, CHU Amiens, France.
• Acta Paediatr. 2012 Mar 1; 101 (3): 230-5.

AimTo describe and assess routine procedures and practices for incubator temperature and humidity management in France in 2009.MethodsA questionnaire was sent to all the 186 neonatal care units in France.ResultsThe questionnaire return rate was 86%. Seventy-five per cent of the units preferred skin servo-control to air temperature control in routine practice. Air temperature control was mainly used for infants with a gestational age of more than 28 weeks and aged over 7 days of life. In general, thermal management decisions did not depend on the infant's age but were based on a protocol applied specifically by each unit. All units humidified the incubator air, but there was a large difference between the lowest and highest reported humidity values (45% and 100% assumed to be a maximal value, respectively). More than 65% of the units used a fixed humidity value, rather than a variable, protocol-derived value.ConclusionWe observed large variations in incubator temperature and humidity management approaches from one neonatal care unit to another. There is a need for more evidence to better inform practice. A task force should be formed to guide clinical practice.© 2011 The Author(s)/Acta Paediatrica © 2011 Foundation Acta Paediatrica.

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