An interventional study of Coconut oil application and No oil application in Trans Epidermal Water Loss (TEWL), sponsored by All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. Completed at 1 site in India. Open to participants aged 12 Hours to 168 Hours. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2011-06-03.
Sponsored by All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi · Not applicable and Interventional
The skin of newborn infants is immature and ineffective as a barrier. Preterm skin exhibits even more vulnerability to the environment due to poor self regulatory heat mechanisms, paucity of fatty tissue and its thinness. Most preterm babies lose up to 13% of their weight as water loss from their skin during the first week of life. Many strategies have been utilized by neonatologists to decrease this water loss. Oil application on the skin can act as a non permeable barrier and can help in reducing water loss from the skin. Edible coconut oil, often used for traditional massage of babies by Indian communities, is culturally acceptable and Hence the investigators decided to undertake this study to objectively assess the reduction in water loss from skin after oil application
All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi is the lead sponsor of 146 studies on the registry; 16 are open to participants now.
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All preterm babies born at the study center with birth weight \< 1500gms were eligible for inclusion in the study.
Exclusion Criteria:
The oil (coconut oil) was applied by the trained nurse to the entire body surface of infant except the face two times a day starting at 12 hrs of life. Four ml of coconut oil was applied using both hands of the caregiver in four strokes. First stroke was from the clavicles over the chest and abdomen till the groin, second from the front of thighs over the knee and leg upto the sole, the third one from the shoulders over the arm and forearm till the palm continuing medially over the forearm and arm till the axilla and the final stroke was used for the back, starting from the upper back, continuing over the back of the thighs till the heel. Just prior to the first application, and thereafter prior to the subsequent applications the TEWL was recorded using the portable closed chamber evaporimeter. The oil application was continued twice daily (every 12 hrs at the same time as the hour of birth e.g. 11 am and 11pm) till the completion of the seventh day (168 hrs of life).
Other: Coconut oil application
Babies in this group were not subjected to oil application. TEWL measurement was recorded every 12 hrs for the first week of life, at the same time as the hour of birth.
Other: No oil application
Four ml coconut oil application twice daily for first week
Oil application was not done
Trans Epidermal Water Loss(TEWL)
TEWL was measured using evaporimeter(Vapometer, Delfin Technologies limited, Kuopio, Finland) at 12 hours of age and thereafter every 12 hours during the first week of life (168 hrs of life)
Time frame: first 7 days of life
Weight
The weight of the neonate was recorded at birth and daily during the first week of life. The weight in grams and weight gain in grams/kilogram/day was measured at 40 weeks post conceptional age.
Time frame: Weight first 7 days of life and 40 weeks postmenstrual age
Skin condition Score
Skin Condition Score was measured using 'Lane and Drost' Score.This score has 9 scores from 1 to 9, 1 depicting the best skin state and 9 the worst with erythema, blistering \& oozing over the entire area.
Time frame: Skin condition Score at day 7 of life
Skin colonization pattern
The skin swab cultures were sent after 1week of life to assess for skin colonization
Time frame: Skin colonization pattern at day 7 of life
This study is completed, as verified in Dec 2005. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi