The top portion of the epidermis is the Stratum Corneum. There are 10-20 layers of stratum corneum in adults and full terms infants, which provides control of evaporative heat loss and water loss. Premature infants have fewer layers of stratum corneum and at 30 weeks gestation age, they may only have 2-3 layers. Extremely premature infants, less than 24 weeks, may have virtually no stratum corneum!
Because of the immaturity of the skin, these newborns are at higher risk for injury and epidermal stripping from adhesive removal. Epidermal stripping can lead to infection, which then leads to longer hospital stays.
Preserving the integrity of the skin is a key aspect to neonatal care and is becoming a bigger issue in the NICU as more and more babies are surviving at 30 weeks or less.
As per the NANN (National Association of Neonatal Nurses) Skin Care Guidelines, "a pectin based adhesive such as hydrocolloid is the preferred adhesive for immature skin". Neotech is the only company that has incorporated hydrocolloid into all of our products that attach to fragile neonatal skin.
|
