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Is Heal Warming Necessary?
Comparison of Capillary Blood Sampling Using an Automated Incision Device With and Without Warming the Heal. Janes M, Pinelli J, Landry S, et al. J Perinatol (March 2002); 22: 154-8.
One hundred preterm and term infants requiring capillary blood sampling were randomized to receive heal-warming or no heal-warming prior to the procedure. The volume of blood, collection time, crying time and repeat procedures were not different between groups. More infants in the heal-warming group received squeezing during the procedure. The study showed no benefit to heal warming prior to capillary blood sampling.
Comment. Heal warming does not appear to facilitate capillary blood sampling in the NICU. It is an unnecessary step for our nurses, and adds to the cost of care. Furthermore, babies become conditioned to the application of heal warmers as a precedent to painful procedures, and this increases their anxiety response to the procedure. If you need to be convinced of this, just visit the NICU at routine lab-drawing time. You’ll find that several alarms are going off for tachycardia or low oxygen saturation after the heal-warmers are placed.
Date: 13 Apr 2002
Time: 19:01:27
I agree with the fact that warming before capillary blood sampling is unnecessary for
amount of blood collection. But, I thought it is basically used for arterializing the
sample for capillary blood gas. One should look into that aspect (change in physical
characteristics ) and not just amount of blood drawn.
Pradeep Alur
Institution: Guam Memorial Hospital Authority
email: palur@hotmail.com
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