Incubator-based active noise control device: comparison to ear covers and noise reduction zone quantification.

Noise exposure in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is consistently higher than current recommendations. This may adversely affect neonatal sleep, weight gain, and overall health. We sought to evaluate the effect of a novel active noise control (ANC) system. An ANC device's noise reduction performance was compared to that of adhesively affixed foam ear covers in response to alarm and voice sounds in a simulated NICU environment. The zone of noise reduction of the ANC device was quantified with the same set of alarm and voice sounds. The ANC device provided greater noise reduction than the ear covers in seven of the eight sound sequences tested in which a noise reduction greater than the just noticeable difference was achieved. For noise in the 500 Hz octave band, the ANC device exhibited consistent noise reduction throughout expected patient positions. It provided better performance for noise below 1000 Hz than above 1000 Hz. The ANC device provided generally superior noise reduction to the ear covers and provided a zone of noise reduction throughout the range where an infant would be placed within an incubator. Implications for patient sleep and weight gain are discussed. Active noise control device can effectively reduce noise inside an infant incubator due to bedside device alarms. This is the first analysis of an incubator-based active noise control device and comparison to adhesively affixed silicone ear covers. A non-contact noise reduction device may be an appropriate means of reducing noise exposure of the hospitalized preterm infant.

Hutchinson GM ，Wilson PS ，Sommerfeldt S ，Ahmad K ... -  《-》

Incubator-based Sound Attenuation: Active Noise Control In A Simulated Clinical Environment.

Hutchinson G ，Du L ，Ahmad K 《PLoS One》

Sound reduction management in the neonatal intensive care unit for preterm or very low birth weight infants.

Almadhoob A ，Ohlsson A 《Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews》

Noise and Critical Sound Levels During Non-Invasive Ventilation of a Preterm Infant in the Incubator.

Preterm birth and the subsequent necessary treatment in neonatal intensive care units (NICU) subjects the preterm infant to non-physiological noise exposure with potentially adverse consequences for short- and long-term development. Adjusters to improve the acoustic environment for the preterm infant need to be defined. Sound pressure level measurements during routine procedures in a NICU were performed by ¼" microphones placed inside and outside the incubator. The microphones need to be suitably positioned to measure sound pressure levels that are representative for the sound field inside and outside the incubator. The sound pressure level spectra generated by respiratory support and corresponding monitor alarms were compared. Inside the incubator, higher sound level pressures (in dBA) were generated primarily by the use of the system components of the incubator itself than outside, whereas when the incubator was closed, it had an insulating effect on sounds generated in the NICU. Non-invasive ventilation resulted in an increase in sound pressure levels from 50 to 60 dBA in the neonate's environment, with sound pressure levels increasing particularly in the frequency range above 1 kHz. Preterm infants are exposed to high sound levels, especially in the non-physiological high-frequency range, particularly during non-invasive ventilation. The continuous sound exposure could be further reduced to some extent by an optimized design of the incubator.

Kaiser E ，Stutz R ，Goedicke-Fritz S ，Bous M ，Zemlin M ，Adams C ... -  《-》

Neonatal intensive care unit incubators reduce language and noise levels more than the womb.

Monson BB ，Rock J ，Cull M ，Soloveychik V ... -  《-》