A newborn's axillary temperature is 97.6°F (36.4°C). He has a cap on his head. His T-shirt is damp with spit-up milk. His blanket is laid over him, and several children are in the room running around his bassinet. The room is comfortably warm, and the bassinet is beside the mother's bed away from the window and doors. What are the most likely mechanisms of heat loss for this newborn?
Conductive heat loss occurs when the newborn's skin touches a cold surface, causing body heat to transfer to the colder object. Heat loss by convection happens when air currents blow over the newborn's body. E vaporative heat loss happens when the newborn's skin is wet. As the moisture evaporates from the body surface, the newborn loses body heat along with the moisture. Heat loss also occurs by radiation to a cold object that is close to, but not touching, the newborn. T/F