Noise control engineering on neonatal incubators

Neonatal incubators provide suitable environmental conditions for premature newborns and allow for medical treatment such as medication and monitoring of vital functions such as blood pressure. The incubator includes several system components such as a control system, an oxygen supply, a scale or flaps and drawers for patient care and storage of medical material, respectively. These system components generate noise such as monitoring alarms, noise of the oxygen supply, or noise due to opening and closing of flaps during medical treatments. The noise leads to a significantly increased sound exposure inside the incubator. Increased sound exposure is known to cause distress and to increase the risk of acute or chronic diseases in the preterm neonate. This paper presents acoustic measurements on an incubator in a neonatal intensive care unit. Several vibration and acoustic measurements are performed inside the incubator as well as in the surrounding environment in order to characterize typical acoustic scenes from everyday life on the neonatal intensive care unit. Based on the measurement results, the scenes are categorized in terms of sound exposure. This forms the basis for a future design for acoustics of the incubator.

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Assessment of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Sound Exposure Using a Smartphone Application

American Journal of Perinatology ◽

10.1055/s-0040-1714679 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Christine Capriolo ◽

Rose M. Viscardi ◽

Karen A. Broderick ◽

Sepideh Nassebeh ◽

Michael Kochan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Intensive Care Unit ◽

Intensive Care ◽

Environmental Factors ◽

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit ◽

Neonatal Intensive Care ◽

Night Shift ◽

Smartphone Application ◽

Single Family ◽

Sound Exposure ◽

The Impact

Objective This study aimed to determine the impact of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) design and environmental factors on neonatal sound exposures. We hypothesized that monitoring with a smartphone application would identify modifiable environmental factors in different NICU design formats. Study Design Minimum, maximum, and peak decibel (dB) recordings were obtained using the Decibel X phone app, and the presence of noise sources was recorded in each patient space at three NICUs over a 6-month period (December 2017 to May 2018). Data were analyzed by Student's t-test and ANOVA with Bonferroni correction. Data were collected at the University of Maryland Medical Center single family room (SFR) level IV and St. Agnes Healthcare hybrid pod/single family room level III NICU, Baltimore, MD and at Prince George's Hospital Center open-pod design Level III NICU, Cheverly, MD. Results All recordings in the three NICUs exceeded the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommended <45 dB level. The maximum and peak dB were highest in the open pod format level III NICU. Conversations/music alone and combined with other factors contributed to increased sound exposure. Sound exposure varied by day/night shift, with higher day exposures at the level III hybrid and open pod NICUs and higher night exposures at the level IV SFR NICU. Conclusion Although sound exposure varied by NICU design, all recordings exceeded the AAP recommendation due, in part, to potentially modifiable environmental factors. A smartphone application may be useful for auditing NICU sound exposure in quality improvements efforts to minimize environmental sound exposure. Key Points

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Questionable sound exposure outside of the womb: frequency analysis of environmental noise in the neonatal intensive care unit

Acta Paediatrica ◽

10.1111/apa.12816 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 104 (1) ◽

pp. e14-e19 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Amir Lahav

Keyword(s):

Intensive Care Unit ◽

Intensive Care ◽

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit ◽

Frequency Analysis ◽

Neonatal Intensive Care ◽

Environmental Noise ◽

Sound Exposure

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The Psychosocial Aspects of Feeding in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Beyond

Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups ◽

10.1044/2019_persp-19-00097 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4 (6) ◽

pp. 1507-1515

Author(s):

Lauren L. Madhoun ◽

Robert Dempster

Keyword(s):

Intensive Care Unit ◽

Intensive Care ◽

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit ◽

Hospital Discharge ◽

Neonatal Intensive Care ◽

Oral Feeding ◽

Medical Attention ◽

Primary Role ◽

Speech Language Pathologists ◽

The Family

Purpose Feeding challenges are common for infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). While sufficient oral feeding is typically a goal during NICU admission, this can be a long and complicated process for both the infant and the family. Many of the stressors related to feeding persist long after hospital discharge, which results in the parents taking the primary role of navigating the infant's course to ensure continued feeding success. This is in addition to dealing with the psychological impact of having a child requiring increased medical attention and the need to continue to fulfill the demands at home. In this clinical focus article, we examine 3 main areas that impact psychosocial stress among parents with infants in the NICU and following discharge: parenting, feeding, and supports. Implications for speech-language pathologists working with these infants and their families are discussed. A case example is also included to describe the treatment course of an infant and her parents in the NICU and after graduation to demonstrate these points further. Conclusion Speech-language pathologists working with infants in the NICU and following hospital discharge must realize the family context and psychosocial considerations that impact feeding progression. Understanding these factors may improve parental engagement to more effectively tailor treatment approaches to meet the needs of the child and family.

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