TempWatchPeer-Reviewed PublicationRandomised Controlled Trial
TempWatch for Monitoring Hypothermia in Very-Low-Birth-Weight Infants: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Year
2020
Location
🇮🇳 Hyderabad, India
Sample Size
100 VLBW infants (RCT)
Investigators
Pranitha Reddy Muppidi, Srinivas Murki, Sai Kiran, Tejo Pratap Oleti, Venkat Reddy Kallem, Bhargavi Kamineni, Venkateshwarlu Vardhelli, Deepak Sharma
Institutions
Fernandez Hospital, Hyderabad, Telangana
Published In
Perinatology
Background & Methods
A randomized controlled trial at Fernandez Hospital, Hyderabad, to evaluate the efficacy of BEMPU TempWatch for detecting hypothermia in very-low-birth-weight (VLBW, < 1.5 kg) infants in the NICU. 100 VLBW infants were randomized to TempWatch (n=50) or conventional monitoring (n=50). The primary outcome was number of hypothermia episodes detected; secondary outcomes included weight gain.
Key Results
| Outcome / Metric | BEMPU Group | Control Group | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hypothermia episodes detected (mean ± SD) | 11 ± 8 | 0.42 ± 1.2 | <0.001 |
- 1The TempWatch group detected significantly more hypothermia episodes — a mean of 11±8 versus 0.42±1.2 in the conventional monitoring group (p<0.001).
- 2This striking difference reflects the value of continuous versus intermittent monitoring: most episodes were missed entirely by standard care.
- 3No significant difference in weight gain was observed between groups, possibly because both groups were in a high-monitoring NICU environment.
Why This Matters
This RCT provides perhaps the most compelling demonstration of TempWatch's core value proposition: continuous monitoring detects hypothermia episodes that intermittent monitoring misses. A 26-fold increase in detected events (11 vs 0.42) quantifies the scale of under-detection in standard NICU care.
How to Cite
Muppidi PR, Murki S, Kiran S, et al. TempWatch for monitoring hypothermia in very-low-birth-weight infants: a randomized controlled trial. Perinatology. 2020;20(4).
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