Year-end Sale % OFF 
Abstract
Noise in the neonatal intensive care unit can be detrimental to the health of the hospitalized infant. Means of reducing that noise include staff training, warning lights, and ear coverings, all of which have had limited success. Single family rooms, while an improvement, also expose the hospitalized infant to the same device alarms and mechanical noises found in open bay units. We evaluated a non-contact incubator-based active noise control device (Neoasis™, Invictus Medical, San Antonio, Texas) in a simulated neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) setting to determine whether it could effectively reduce the noise exposure of infants within an incubator. In the NICU simulation center, we generated a series of clinically appropriate sound sequences with bedside medical devices such as a patient monitor and fluid infusion devices, hospital air handling systems, and device mechanical sounds. A microphone-equipped infant mannequin was oriented within an incubator. Measurements were made with the microphones with the Neoasis™ deactivated and activated. The active noise control device decreased sound pressure levels for certain alarm sounds by as much as 14.4 dB (a 5.2-fold reduction in sound pressure) at the alarm tone's primary frequency. Frequencies below the 2 kHz octave band were more effectively attenuated than frequencies at or above the 2 kHz octave band. Background noise levels below 40 dBA were essentially not impacted by the active noise control device. The active noise control device further reduces noise inside infant incubators. Device safety and potential health benefits of the quieter environment should be verified in a clinical setting.
Highlights
For preterm infants, the mission of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) care is to support healthy infant development in the extrauterine environment with minimal mortality
Background noise levels below 40 dBA were essentially not impacted by the active noise control device
On or off) was randomized for each of the five trials and the mannequin was re-placed in the incubator between each trial
Summary
The mission of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) care is to support healthy infant development in the extrauterine environment with minimal mortality. The central nervous system of a preterm infant is illprepared to cope with the extrauterine environment. While stressors such as light can be attenuated by practices such as dimming overhead lights or covering an incubator with a blanket, noise is not as addressed. A male and a female voice were included in two of the sound sequences. These were recorded on a digital recorder (Zoom H4n, Zoom North America, Hauppauge, New York) via an externally connected microphone (Dayton Audio EMM-6, Dayton Audio, Springboro, Ohio). Recorded voices were used to ensure a consistent signal for all trial and conditions
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
