Evaluation of a life support module used for air transport of critically ill infants.

To accomplish the safe transport of ill newborns, various infant transport systems have been developed. One such unit, produced by Airborne Life Support Systems, has been tested by the authors. The parameters used to evaluate the system were: (1) temperature stability at 2 degrees C and -28 degrees C ambient; (2) rate of internal temperature fall-off when all power to the unit was interrupted; (3) degree of CO2 accumulation, and (4) internal sound levels. Without heat shield, temperature decrease at 2 degrees C ambient was 12 degrees C/h; with head shield, 2 degrees C/h for the first hour and 0.9 degrees C in the second hour. At -28 degrees C ambient, temperature decrease was 6.1 and 2.2 degrees C/h for the first and second hour, respectively. The rate of temperature fall-off was 15.6 degrees C in 45 min. Average CO2 accumulation was 0.24% after 2 h. Sound level for heater and fan was 16.5 dB. An additional 1 dB of noise was contributed to the system when air and oxygen were turned on.