Advances in neonatal care : official journal of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses
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Controlled Clinical Trial
Use of the heated gel mattress and its impact on admission temperature of very low birth-weight infants.
The purpose of this investigation was to describe the ability of a transport mattress (TransWarmer Infant Transport Mattress), produced by Cooper Surgical (Trumbull, Connecticut), to reduce hypothermia in a group of very low birth-weight infants. ⋯ The results of this investigation suggest that further research of the TransWarmer Transport Mattress is warranted using an adequately powered randomized controlled trial. Information on the safety and cost-effectiveness is needed. Long-term follow-up evaluating admission temperatures and long-term outcomes is also warranted.
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To examine the baseline acoustic environment in several mid-Atlantic region neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) and investigate the perceived factors contributing to noise levels in these NICUs. ⋯ Elevated sound levels need to be addressed in individual NICUs around the country. Further exploratory studies, as well as research regarding effective methods of decreasing sound levels in the NICU environment, are necessary. NICUs can implement behavioral and structural changes that can decrease the sound levels in the NICU environment and decrease the potential for exposure of patients to the harmful physiological effects of increased sound levels.
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Multicenter Study
A descriptive study of noise in the neonatal intensive care unit. Ambient levels and perceptions of contributing factors.
To examine the baseline acoustic environment in several mid-Atlantic region neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) and investigate the perceived factors contributing to noise levels in these NICUs. ⋯ Elevated sound levels need to be addressed in individual NICUs around the country. Further exploratory studies, as well as research regarding effective methods of decreasing sound levels in the NICU environment, are necessary. NICUs can implement behavioral and structural changes that can decrease the sound levels in the NICU environment and decrease the potential for exposure of patients to the harmful physiological effects of increased sound levels.
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This study was conducted to assess whether neonatal nurses who care for dying infants could be assisted in their knowledge and comfort via an educational intervention provided by hospital ethics committee members and hospice specialists. ⋯ Education by hospice experts in the NICU can assist nurses' comfort with care of the dying infant. In addition, ongoing support is highly desirable for all staff participating in such care. The authors suggest incident debriefings from outside experts, debriefing after each infant's death, multidisciplinary meetings for the whole team, and having sessions of lessons learned on infant death cases.
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Hypothermia is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in infants; therefore, maintaining normal body temperatures in the delivery room is crucial. An understanding of how infants produce heat and what can be done to maintain normal body temperatures in full-term and preterm infants is essential for the preservation of thermal stability in this population. This article reviews the consequences of hypothermia, mechanisms of heat exchange and heat production in full-term and low birth-weight infants, and discusses interventions in the delivery room to alleviate hypothermia.