TITLE:
Feasibility of Continuous Multi-Site Skin Temperature Monitoring for Physiological Assessment of Suspected Necrotizing Enterocolitis in Preterm Infants: A Pilot Study
AUTHORS:
Huan-Shiu Chen, Teh-Ming Wang, Chuang-Chien Chiu, Hsin-Hung Kuo
KEYWORDS:
Necrotizing Enterocolitis, Preterm Infants, Non-Invasive Monitoring, Skin Temperature, Physiological Monitoring, Neonatal Intensive Care
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Pediatrics,
Vol.16 No.3,
May
27,
2026
ABSTRACT: This pilot study aimed to evaluate the technical feasibility of continuous, non-invasive, multi-site skin temperature monitoring in preterm infants already clinically suspected of NEC, and to characterise preliminary temperature signal features during a standardised 20-minute monitoring epoch. Preterm infants clinically suspected of early-stage NEC were enrolled and underwent continuous physiological monitoring, including abdominal, hand, and foot skin temperature measurements. A total of 16 preterm infants were included in the analysis. The results showed that temperature variations across measurement sites were minimal and did not demonstrate clear differentiation among subjects during the monitoring period. These findings suggest that temperature-based monitoring alone may have limited sensitivity for early NEC detection, particularly in mild or early-stage cases. Importantly, this study demonstrates that continuous multi-site physiological monitoring is technically feasible in the neonatal intensive care setting. The findings highlight the need to integrate additional physiological parameters to enhance the sensitivity and reliability of future monitoring strategies. These preliminary results provide insights into the limitations of single-parameter monitoring and support the development of multi-modal, data-driven approaches for early NEC assessment in preterm infants.