Infant Incubators by Frank Weithner

Infant incubators maintain a healthy environment for newborn babies. They

are used for premature babies which are still small and weak as well as for
some sick full-term babies.
Incubators are used in the primary care department of a hospital or in
the neonatal intensive care unit, NICU (pronounced "Nickyoo").
Infant incubators should not be confused with laboratory incubators, which
are used to keep reagents or samples warm.

Purpose
The incubator consists of a transparent
cabinet in which the baby is kept in a
neutral environment for medical care.
Neutral means, that the surrounding air
has the optimal temperature and moisture
and the baby only needs minimum of
energy to maintain normal body
temperature.

The infant incubator

controls the temperature
controls the humidity
can deliver additional oxygen
protects against infections and
diseases
protects against noise

In order maintain the body temperature of

the baby (36 - 37.2C) the incubator must
be able to create an ambient air of 34 -
38C with a humidity of
40 - 80%.

Terminology
The branch of medicine that deals with the medical care of newborn infants,
especially with the ill or premature newborns, is called neonatology. The
medical practitioner who specialises in this area is known as
a neonatologist.
Paediatrics is the branch of medicine that deals with the medical care of all
children in general, from birth up to 18 years of age. The medical
practitioner in this area is known as apaediatrician.
A new born baby (or infant) is also called neonate.

Types
In a typical infant incubator the baby lies
on a mattress in a closed, transparent
cabinet. The ambient air is fully
controlled by the incubator. The cabinet
has portholes so that the nurse has access
to the baby without opening the cabinet.
Under the cabinet is the compartment
with the technology and the control panel.
The whole incubator is mounted on a
trolley.

Radiant heater
Sometimes the closed construction is not
desired. When the baby needs special
care (e.g. controlled ventilation, pulse
oximetry, ECG) and nurses and doctors
need fast and easy access it is better to
have a open system. In this case the baby
is warmed by a radiant heater, mounted
over the cradle with the baby.

Design
All infant incubators work on the same principle.
A fan blows filtered ambient air over a heating element and a water
container. Through a control valve additional oxygen can be supplied to the
air. The moistened, heated and enriched air now flows into the above
cabinet with the baby. One part of the air escapes from the cabinet through
vent holes, another part gets back into the air processing.
The cabinet is made out of transparent Plexiglas (Perspex). A hinged hood
can be opened to put the baby in or take it out. Through portholes in the
front the nurse has easy access to the baby without letting out the warm air
by opening the hood.
After the desired temperature is set by the nurse, it is kept stable
automatically by the incubator. Humidity and oxygen concentration are
usually controlled manually.
Furthermore the incubator has a safety switch-off function when the
temperature increases 40C. Also an alarm is given when the fan does not
turn in case the power fails.
The components which are used vary. Older incubators work with electrical
controls, newer ones are electronically controlled and the newest generation
is microprocessor controlled. But the result is the same - and the old ones
are as reliable and precise as the newest ones.

Fan
The fan takes the filtered room air and blows it over or through the heating
element and the humidifier. Without the fan the heat can not be conducted
away from the heating element and the heating element and thus the
incubator would overheat.

Filter
Simple incubators are equipped with washable foam filters. After washing
and drying they can be reused. Modern incubators however usually have
disposable bacterial filters. They can not be cleaned and have to be
renewed.

Heater
A heating element made from coiled resistance wire as known from hair
dryers or the tube type (flat or coiled) as seen in autoclaves are used to heat
up the air. But unlike in autoclaves, the heater has much less power and
thus does not get so hot. The power rating is between 100 W and 300 W.
The heater is controlled by an electronic temperature control unit via a relay
or triac or simply by a thermostat.

Temperature control
Simple incubators are controlled by a thermostat
which consists of a sensor and a pressure can. The
sensor is a thin capillary tube which leads into the
pressure can (or expansion chamber). This
chamber has a moveable metal lid or diaphragm.
This closed system contains a liquid or gas which
expands when getting warmer. The lid moves and
activates a connected electrical switch.
The thin capillary tube is often rolled up. This is
correct. Do not cut it. It is not a wire. Also avoid
bending the tube. It can get kinks and will then not
work any more.

Electronic controlled system have a cable sensor.

The output controls a relay (on-off) or a dimmer
(infinitely variable control).

The electronically controlled type has the advantage that an additional

temperature sensor can be used. This sensor is taped on the skin of the
baby and measures the baby's body temperature.
The temperature display or thermometer should be separate from the
temperature control unit. It can be a digital display or an alcohol glass
thermometer. For safety reasons mercury thermometers must not be used
in infant incubators. Mercury is toxic.

Humidity control
The heated air flows over the water in the water container and gets
moistened. The humidity can be regulated by closing and opening a deflector
plate over the container. Other incubators have a water heater which creates
more humidity the warmer the water gets. The humidity should be
adjustable between 40 and 90%.
The humidity is measured by a hygrometer, a digital or a traditional dial
instrument.
The humidifier should be filled up only with distilled water only in order to
avoid corrosive damage to the incubator.

Oxygen control
Most of the infant incubators have a hose connection for applying additional
oxygen from an external cylinder, oxygen concentrator or from the central
gas supply. In this case the warmed and moistened air gets also enriched
with the oxygen.
Alternatively the baby gets the additional oxygen directly via a nasal
cannula.

Alarms and safety features

For safety reasons all electronically controlled infant incubators monitor all
functions and an alarm is generated when something does not work
properly.
In case of a failure the following alarms are given:

Overheating. When the air in the cabinet gets too hot.

Fan failure. When the fan is not turning any more.
Power off. When the power supply fails. For this to work an additional
alarm battery is
needed.

Additionally all incubators, even the older non-electronic controlled ones

have an over-heating protection. The heater is switched completely off when
the temperature in the cabinet reaches 40C.

Consumables
Some newer infant incubators do not have washable air inlet filters but
special bacterial filters. These filters have to be exchanged after
3 or 6 month and can not be cleaned.

Installation requirements
Infant incubators should be placed in a quiet environment with no exposure
to direct sun light. Noisy oxygen generators should not be placed beside the
incubator. Oxygen cylinders have to protected against falling over.

Note: In case of a power cut the incubator does not work

any more. A small UPS as used for computers is no
solution because the power consumption (of the heater) is
too high.

Usage
The usage of an infant incubator is not difficult and the functions should be
self-explanatory. Nevertheless the technician and the user have to read the
user manual carefully before usage.
A missing user manual should be available from the manufacturer or from
the Internet.
In addition to the instruction of the manufacturer here some general hints:

Always preheat the incubator and wait for half an hour until temperature
and humidity are
stabilised.
Babies are kept in the incubator undressed apart from a nappy.
Check and record the temperature every 5 hours and hourly in a critical
care stage.
Default air temperature in the incubator is 35C.
The setting for the humidity for small babies is 70 - 80% in the
beginning, later 40%.
Use distilled water only. It has to be drained and renewed every day.
Do not place equipment on top of the canopy.
Cleaning
Some manufacturers suggest cleaning the incubator every day with a mild
soap water solution, some don't. But at least the incubator has to be cleaned
and disinfected thoroughly

after each change of infant

at least once a week.

Therefore all inserts have to be removed and cleaned with hot soap water
added with antiseptic. Then the inserts and the cabinet have to be dried and
ventilated before they can be reused.
The disinfection products which can be used or should not be used are noted
in the user manual.
The humidifier reservoir has to be cleaned and the water changed every day.
The air inlet filter should be changed or washed according to the user
manual or every 3 months.

Maintenance
Start the maintenance with a visual check. Ensure that the hood is free of
cracks and the hinges move smoothly and all switches and knobs are OK.
Check all probes, cables, and tubes for cracks and the port sleeves for tears.
Check or replace also the alarm battery, if there is one.
Continue with a test run with a function test and a temperature check and a
calibration if needed. The temperature check and the calibration procedure
are described in the service manual.
When the service manual is not present, a typical temperature check can be
performed as follows:

Use a reference thermometer with an accuracy of 0.5 or better and place

it in the centre
of the mattress.
Set the temperature to 36C, wait at least 30 min and then check the
temperature for
6 hours. The temperatures should not differ more than 1.

When the temperature differs more, the control unit has to be calibrated. In
electronic controls there is always is a trim-pot for doing the adjustments.
Mechanical thermostats usually do not have a calibration point. But here the
knob or the pointer can be twisted.
The safety thermostat or over-temperature cut-off can be tested by
bypassing the main thermostat. Then the temperature will rise above 40C,
an alarm should be given and the safety function has to switch off the
heater. It is also possible to use a hair dryer to warm up the sensor, or to
move it closer to the heating element.
Check also the humidity. The incubator should be able to create up to 80%
humidity. On the other hand it should be possible to reduce the humidity
down to 40%.

An important task during the maintenance is the thorough cleaning of the

technology compartment under the cabinet.
A vacuum cleaner helps a lot to clean the inside of the incubator but it is not
essential. A brush will also do. Plastic parts and everything that is water
resistant should be washed with hot soap water added with antiseptic. Do
not forget the air inlet filter.
A dusty fan can be cleaned easily with a brush, but this should not really be
needed because of the inlet filter.

Special tools
A calibrated (electronic) thermometer with an accuracy of 0.1C is needed. A
clinical (fever) thermometer can not be used because it only shows the
maximum temperature.
A hygrometer is also needed when the humidity has to be checked.

Typical problems
Burned heating elements can be replaced against other types as long as
the wattage is
the same. Some heating elements are protected by a thermal fuse.
Consider this when
you diagnose a 'blown' heating element.
Also, a blown heating element or thermal fuse has a reason. Check the
fan operation.
When replacing a defective thermostat do not only look only at the
temperature range but
also at the accuracy and the hysteresis. Hysteresis is temperature
difference between
switching off and switching on. For an incubator a hysteresis of 1C is
needed.
Be careful with thermostats. The thin capillary tube is usually rolled up.
This is correct.
Do not cut it. It is not a wire, but a fine tube. Also avoid bending the
tube. It can get kinks
and will not work any more.
Lubrication also helps when the fan gets noisy. Axial computer-type fans
have a label in
the centre which can be lifted up a bit for lubrication. One drop of oil is
enough.
Broken hood thermometers should never be replaced against mercury
glass-
thermometers. The glass can brake and mercury is toxic.
The sleeves of the ports are often torn, filthy or missing, but you can find
the material for
replacement easily in every town.
Casters and brakes are often damaged and spares are difficult to find. But
often the
incubators are not moved anyway and the casters are not needed. In this
case it is a
good idea to remove them completely to ensure the incubator is standing
stable.

Spare parts
Modern incubators use disposable bacterial filters that can not be reused.
Make sure you have some spare filters in stock.
Broken or disappeared thermometers can be replaced by mechanical or
alcohol thermometers only. Mercury thermometer must not be used.

Life expectancy
According to WHO the life expectancy of infant incubators is 7 - 10 years.
Well maintained incubators can reach easily 15 years or more.

Do-it-Yourself infant incubator

Building an infant incubator is an interesting challenge for all craft skilled
technicians and technically interested students. The control of temperature
and humidity and some safety features can be done relatively easy
electrically, electronically or with a microprocessor, depending on your
preferences.
When surfing through the Internet you get the impression that do-it-yourself
equipment made from cheap components is right for hospitals in developing
countries. But this is wrong. What is needed is robust equipment built with
proven and simple technology and not high-tech with cheap components
which nobody can repair.
If you really want to design an incubator for low-income countries think
about the following criteria:

Simple
The construction must be simple and easy to understand. A local technician
should be able to repair the incubator one day. Mechanic thermostats are
therefore better than electronic controls. But a simple electronic control is
still better than a microprocessor, which needs a special program and thus
can not be repaired.

Mechanically robust
Working conditions in developing countries are often rough. The cabinet
should be as durable as possible and easy to clean.
Few and big knobs for setting the values are better than delicate push
buttons.

Technically robust
The simpler the control the less sensitive it is against voltage fluctuations
and power outages. The components also have to be protected against
spikes and surges.

Cheap but good quality

The whole incubator should be much less expensive than a commercial one,
but the components and the design should be of high quality. Save money
by reducing the features but do not try to save money by using cheap low
quality components.
Universal heating elements (or lamps), universal fans (from a computer
maybe) and universal and simple control elements are needed.

Some interesting solutions I have collected here.

Manufacturers
Important manufacturer of infant incubators are:

Airborne
Air-Shields
Ardo
Atom, Japan
Datex-Ohmeda
Drager
 GE
Guido Rayos
Hill-Rom
OGB
Ohio Medical

Links and sources

Here are some Wikipedia Medical Equipment articles:

Incubator
Neonatology
Pediatrics
Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU)