Background and Identification
According to the World Health Organization, Infant radiant warmers or infant warmers are devices used to give thermal support to newborns, for critically ill newborns who require constant nursing support and infants that are undergoing treatment that prolongs exposure to a cool environment,
They differ slightly from an incubator in that they are not enclosed. They are an overhead heating unit and are made up of a heat source that produces radiant heat, a skin temperature sensor, an automatic (servo) control unit, and visual and audible alarms.
The NIH notes that, “The major advantage of the radiant warmer is the easy access it provides to critically-ill infants without disturbing the thermal environment. Its major disadvantage is the increase in insensible water loss produced by the radiant warmer.”