Energy needs of the child
Lestradet, H.; Courpotin, C.
Archives Francaises de Pediatrie 33(3): 211-215
1976
ISSN/ISBN: 0003-9764 PMID: 1008664 Document Number: 96411
The energy requirements of newborn infants are discussed; the importance of environmental temperature is highlighted by reference to experiments with sheep, in which shearing increased the energy required to maintain constant weight by almost 100%, and by studies on the rate of growth of premature infants kept at different temperatures while receiving the same energy intake, 120 kcal/kg day. There was a retardation of growth of about 3 g/day in infants kept in an incubator at 35 deg C, compared with those at 36.5 deg , implying that a 1.5 deg reduction in temperature should be accompanied by extra intake of 14 kcal/kg day, representing 11% of total intake, if a constant rate of growth is to be maintained. The importance is stressed of adequate body covering during removal from the incubator, including provision of a head covering, to reduce energy losses of newborn and premature infants.