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What Are the Dangers of Heat Lamps on Infants?

Heat lamps are beneficial to newborns for initial warmth and treatment at birth, for jaundice, and later, for development. But they must be operated properly, or the infant can suffer adverse effects.

  1. Infant Temperature Regulation

    • The medulla in an infant's brain is not fully developed, and cannot regulate temperatures.

      An infant's brain cannot regulate his body temperature, which needs to be maintained externally at 90 degrees to prevent hypothermia.

    Heat Lamps for Crawling

    • Heat lamps can be used to stimulate crawling.

      According to Child's Genius Magazine, heat lamps benefit infants to stimulate crawling, but should only be used in proximity to the child to keep the child from being burned.

    Infant Heat Lamp Death Case

    • A five-day-old infant died from overexposure to a heat lamp.

      A five-day-old infant died in 1960 from a heat lamp. The baby was left under a lamp at 30-minute intervals, causing first, second, and third degree burns, as well as vomiting and pneumonia.

    Faulty Equipment and Hospital Staff Negligence

    • There are two cases investigated by the ECRI involving infant heat lamps.

      Faulty heat lamps can cause an infant to be burned. Research organization ECRI Institute suggested a recall on a Hill-Rom warmer, which caught fire and burned a baby. ECRI also analyzed another case, involving a misused infant heat lamp. The lamp was placed by two air hoses and caused them to burst. In this case, the baby was not injured. A heat shield and further proximity from flammables was recommended.

    Safety Features

    • Equipment is best with pre-installed safety features.

      GE Healthcare's Lullaby Warmer has safety features to provide even heat and prevent overheating, and alarms to monitor the baby's temperature.

    Recommendations, Cautions and Warnings

    • Infant lamps and infants being treated with them should be monitored.

      Heat lamps are dangerous to infants when they are not properly monitored and infants are situated too close, for too long a duration. Infant lamps are for clinical use only and infrared lamps should never be used.

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