Evaluating the Impact of the Wrapping Bag TECOtherm Wrabbit on Temperature Stability During Therapeutic Hypothermia Treatment of Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy

Abstract

During hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) therapy for neonates, the patient temperature must be kept at 33.5°C as stable as possible throughout the therapy time. Therefore, hypothermia devices with a fluid-circulated temperature-regulating mat have become established. However, therapeutic interventions often require medical personnel to open the mat to reach the patient. This can lead to a loss of thermal regulation due to heat exchange between the patient and environment which can result in a slower or stopped therapy. To mitigate this issue, the wrapping bag TECOtherm Wrabbit was proposed to shield the patient from external temperature fluctuations and maintain therapeutic efficacy. We conducted a laboratory experiment using a test model to evaluate the effectiveness of the wrapping bag under two conditions: with and without TECOtherm Wrabbit, both under dry and moistened states at room temperatures of 21°C and 27°C. The objective was to assess the retention of patient temperature during possible interventions. Results indicated a significant decrease in temperature when the wrapping bag was not used. Conversely, the use of the wrapping bag demonstrated a slight but controlled temperature change. These findings suggest that the wrapping bag can effectively aid in maintaining patient temperature during necessary clinical interventions. Further clinical research is warranted to validate the application of wrapping bag in maintaining neonatal temperature stability during hypothermic therapy.

Keywords

hypothermia / hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) / neonatology / TECOtherm Wrabbit / therapeutic

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2025 The Author(s). Pediatric Discovery published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University.