The temperature regulation during the “Golden Hour” management of newborns is an important indicator of long-term neonatal outcomes, particularly in infants classified as having a very low birth weight (< 1500 g). To to gather an accurate measurement of temperature and to aid in early identification of poor neonatal outcomes, the use of two temperature probes monitoring core and peripheral temperatures in this patient population has been proposed in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. Currently, in the initial stages of this dual-probe monitoring system, I am analyzing data from various patient trials that compare core and peripheral measurements to gain a more accurate value of the newborn’s temperature. Thus far, initial results have shown that using a dual-probe system leads to a more accurate reading of temperature and can help better monitor the status of these very low birth weight babies. To help implement this practice as a unit-wide policy, I worked closely with NICU staff educators and specialists in the BabyLeo clinical equipment to create staff education material on the importance of using dual-probe monitoring as well as how to use the BabyLeo incubators and warmers to allow for the addition of this peripheral temperature measure.

Savan would like to thank their faculty sponsor, Shelley von der Lancken, for their support of this project.