Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40025597›Full record

ArticleMaternal health, neonatology and perinatology2025

Safety and efficacy of double plastic wrap in reducing insensible water loss in preterm infants in first week of life - a pilot randomized controlled trial from a low-to-middle-income country.

Sreetama Das, Somnath Pal, Syamal Sardar

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Maternal health, neonatology and perinatology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Sreetama DasDepartment of Neonatology, Institute of Postgraduate Medical education & Research and SSKM Hospital, 244 AJC Bose Road, Kolkata, 700020, West Bengal, India.
Somnath PalDepartment of Neonatology, Institute of Postgraduate Medical education & Research and SSKM Hospital, 244 AJC Bose Road, Kolkata, 700020, West Bengal, India. somnathpal1983@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6760-0313
Syamal SardarDepartment of Neonatology, Institute of Postgraduate Medical education & Research and SSKM Hospital, 244 AJC Bose Road, Kolkata, 700020, West Bengal, India.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPreterm infants experience excessive insensible water loss in postnatal period. Established practices like cling film might not be sufficient alone in reducing this loss. Being expensive, humidified incubators might not be affordable in developing countries. Hence, we tried to explore double plastic wrap (cling film attached to the bassinet wall and occlusive plastic wrap covering the baby) as a low-cost solution of increased insensible water loss in postnatal period.

methodsIn this pilot trial 63 inborn infants of less than 32 weeks of gestation or birth weight less than 1200 g were enrolled and randomized to either single wrap (only cling film attached to the bassinet wall) or double wrap (cling film covering the bassinet and occlusive plastic wrap covering the baby) group after birth. This practice was allowed in addition to radiant warmer care and other routine thermoregulatory measures followed in the unit. Intervention was continued till first 7 days of life unless they met any pre-specified withdrawal criteria. The primary outcome was a difference in total insensible water loss (g/m2) in first seven days of life between two groups. The secondary outcomes were difference in cumulative insensible water loss (g/m2) in the first 72 h of life, 4-7 days of life, average daily insensible water loss in the first week (g/m2/h), neonatal morbidities, mortality and time to event analysis.

resultsOf 63 randomized infants, 32 were allocated to single wrap and 31 to double wrap groups. Cumulative insensible water loss in first 72 h and first week were significantly lower in the double wrap group (2786.5 ± 576 g/m2 in single wrap and 2376.8 ± 626 g/m2 in double wrap, p value 0.012 for 0-3 days and 6225.48 ± 951 g/m2 in single wrap and 5260.61 ± 1091 in double wrap, p value 0.034 for 0-7 days of life respectively). Apart from increased incidence of patent ductus arteriosus in double wrap group (41.94% vs. 15.62%, p 0.027) no other clinically significant outcomes were different between 2 groups. Median times to wean off respiratory support, regain birth weight and discharge from health facility were also similar between the two groups.

conclusionDouble plastic wrap has been found to reduce cumulative insensible water loss in first week of life compared to cling film alone in the setting of a low-to-middle income-country. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: CTRI/2024/03/063749. TRIAL REGISTRATION DATE: 07.03.2024. LINK TO CTRI: https://ctri.nic.in/Clinicaltrials/pmaindet2.php?EncHid=MTAwMzk5&Enc=&userName=CTRI/2024/03/063749 .

Indexed as

Developing countryInsensible water lossNewbornPlastic wrapPreterm

Identifiers

PMID40025597
PMCPMC11874115

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.