Basic idea

The KanMed Baby Warmer consists of a soft, warm, water-filled mattress (about 4.5 litres) which is maintaned at a precise temperature(1) by a low voltage Heating Pad and a Control Unit. The water mattress is surrounded by the KanMed Baby Nest, a soft adjustable frame which keeps the baby in place on the mattress and creates a cosy environment. The KanMed Baby Warmer is placed in a normal baby's cot.(2) Direct contact with the warm water mattress (conductive heat transfer) and the indirect heating of the air around the baby(2) ensure that the KanMed Baby Warmer is a very efficient way of keeping a baby of any weight at a normal temperature. Therefore it is also ideal for fast re-warming of hypothermic babies.

A KanMed baby is a content baby

The warmth is provided in a cosy and noiseless environment, which makes the baby calm and reduces its energy loss in comparison with the environment in an incubator. (4) The KanMed Baby Nest can be adjusted to create a tight or loose fit around the baby, depending on the nesting effect desired. All types of safety monitoring, such as heart rate, respiratory rate and pulse oximetry, can be performed when the baby is lying on the mattress. The baby can also receive treatment such as supplementary oxygen from a face mask or a hood, or CPAP through a nasal catheter, while remaining in the standard cot. After a stabilisation period, IPPV (through an endotracheal tube) can be provided in the KanMed Baby Warmer. Nutrition can be supplied via a naso-gastric tube or an intravenous route. The cot can be placed next to the mother to help to establish close contact between mother and child. Due to the special construction of the low voltage heating element, the baby´s environment is free of electric and magnetic fields.

The baby-friendly approach from the viewpoint of parents and the staff

Parents are pleased to see their baby in a normal cot where they can touch it, treat it and feed it. (6) The crucial bond between the mother and child is improved, and breast feeding is possible. Nursing staff appreciate the easy handling and simplicity of the KanMed Baby Warmer. It is virtually the same as handling a mature baby in a cot. Babies are more relaxed on the mattress and parents are less worried. The KanMed Baby Warmer is easily and rapidly cleaned. It can be washed and wiped off with any disinfection/cleansing agent. The KanMed Baby Nest is machine-washable. Hours spent on cleaning incubators are now spent with the babies.

The major components of the KanMed Baby Warmer

The new KanMed Baby Warmer is a further development of a previous model which has been sold to hospitals all over the world. The new features are a special frame around the baby, the KanMed Baby Nest, only 4.5 litres of water in a new water mattress, a heating pad without magnetic and electrical fields, and a brand new control unit.

KanMed Baby Nest - the adjustable frame

A special frame has been developed to keep the baby in place and to create a cosy environment. The shape of the KanMed Baby Nest can be adjusted from a flat structure to become a U-shaped, tight "wall" which protects the baby. The KanMed Baby Nest is also available with a foam mattress.

The water-filled mattress

The water-filled mattress is made of flame resistant polyvinylchloride. It is soft and is only partially filled with water. The water mattress is so strong that it can take the weight of a fully grown adult. It may be used in a tilted cot.

The Control Unit and the Heating Pad

The control unit continuously controls the temperature selected, monitoring the actual temperature of the water in the mattress. A safety circuit provide warning of excessively high or low temperatures and equipment failure. The control unit allows selection of temperatures between 34° and 38°C. The heating pad operates with a low voltage supply (24 volts). It is flexible, watertight, and easy to clean.

Easy to use...

The water mattress is placed on a normal mattress in any standard cot. The warming element slides into a pocket under the water mattress which, in turn, slides into a pocket in the KanMed Baby Nest. The baby, which is lightly dressed, is placed on the water mattress and covered with a blanket. The temperature of the water is set at the body temperature of a normal baby (36.5-37° C). The water temperature is subsequently regulated according to the baby's needs. If the baby is very small (below 1500 g) and/or the surroundings very cold, the baby will lose too much heat from its head. This can easily be compensated by fitting the baby with a small cap. The conductive heat transfer from the warm water mattress is so efficient that it will rewarm a hypothermic baby very fast.(5,7) The KanMed Baby Warmer is suitable for internal hospital transport. The temperature of the water only drops about 0.7° C in half an hour. Alternatively the warmer may be operated by batteries (12 - 24 V DC).

How many KanMed Baby Warmers do we need?

In the delivery ward, two or more KanMed Baby Warmers are usually used for quick re-warming of hypothermic babies and for internal transportation of sick or small babies (from the delivery ward or the operating theatre, to the NICU or to a maternity unit). This is a simple way to avoid early neonatal hypothermia. In the maternity ward, three to five KanMed Baby Warmers per 20 beds are used for keeping babies weighing between 1700-2500 g warm, thus allowing them to remain in their beds to be breast fed and cared for by their mothers. They can also be given phototherapy treatment in a warm bed. In the neonatal intensive care units, the number of KanMed Baby Warmers depends on the character of the unit. If the unit mainly has basic neonatal care, the majority of the incubators can be replaced by KanMed Baby Warmers. If, on the other hand, most of the babies in the ward are treated with ventilators, one Baby Warmer per 2 incubators may be considered to be a practical ratio. Basic monitoring of vital signs is not influenced by the KanMed Baby Warmer.