Objective Although many perinatal factors have been linked to adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes in very premature infants, much of the variation in outcome remains unexplained. The impact on brain development of one potential factor, exposure to stressors in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, has not yet been studied in a systematic, prospective manner. Methods In this prospective cohort study of infants born at <30 weeks gestation, nurses were trained in recording procedures and cares. These recordings were used to derive Neonatal Infant Stressor Scale scores, which were employed to measure exposure to stressors. Magnetic resonance imaging (brain metrics, diffusion, and functional magnetic resonance imaging) and neurobehavioral examinations at term equivalent postmenstrual age were used to assess cerebral structure and function. Simple and partial correlations corrected for confounders including immaturity and severity of illness were used to explore these relationships. Results Exposure to stressors was highly variable, both between infants and throughout a single infant’s hospital course. Exposure to a greater number of stressors was associated with decreased frontal and parietal brain width, altered diffusion measures and functional connectivity in the temporal lobes, and abnormalities in motor behavior on neurobehavioral examination. Interpretation Exposure to stressors in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is associated with regional alterations in brain structure and function. Further research into interventions that may decrease or mitigate exposure to stressors in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is warranted.

Objective To evaluate associations between neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) room type (open ward and private room) and medical outcomes; neurobehavior, electrophysiology and brain structure at hospital discharge; and developmental outcomes at two years of age. Study design In this prospective longitudinal cohort study, we enrolled 136 preterm infants born <30 weeks gestation from an urban, 75-bed level III NICU from 2007-2010. Upon admission, each participant was assigned to a bedspace in an open ward or private room within the same hospital, based on space and staffing availability, where they remained for the duration of hospitalization. The primary outcome was developmental performance at two years of age (n=86 infants returned for testing, which was 83% of survivors) measured using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, 3rd Edition. Secondary outcomes were 1) medical factors throughout the hospitalization, 2) neurobehavior, and 3) cerebral injury and maturation (determined by magnetic resonance imaging and electroencephalography). Results At term equivalent age, infants in private rooms were characterized by a diminution of normal hemispheric asymmetry and a trend toward having lower amplitude integrated electroencephalography cerebral maturation scores [p= 0.02; β=−0.52 (CI −0.95, −0.10)]. At age two years, infants from private rooms had lower language scores [p= 0.006; β=−8.3 (CI −14.2, −2.4)] and a trend toward lower motor scores [p= 0.02; β=−6.3 (CI −11.7, −0.99)], which persisted after adjustment for potential confounders. Conclusion These findings raise concerns that highlight the need for further research into the potential adverse effects of different amounts of sensory exposure in the NICU environment.

Social and medical factors appear to impact parent presence, holding, and skin-to-skin care in the NICU. Parent holding is related to better developmental outcomes, which highlights the importance of engaging families in the NICU.

There is a paucity of studies that have investigated the developmental benefits of positioning in the neonatal intensive care unit. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a new, alternative positioning device compared to traditional positioning methods used with preterm infants. In this randomized, blinded clinical trial, one hundred preterm infants (born ≤32 weeks gestation) from a level III neonatal intensive care unit in the United States were enrolled at birth. Participants were randomized to be positioned in the alternative positioning device or to traditional positioning methods for their length of stay in the neonatal intensive care unit. Infants were assessed using the NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale at term equivalent age. Clinical and feeding outcomes were also captured. Linear and logistic regression were used to investigate differences in neurobehavioral outcome, feeding performance, and medical outcomes. Infants in the alternative positioning arm of the study demonstrated less asymmetry of reflex and motor responses on the NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale (p=0.04; Adjusted Mean Difference=0.90, 95% CI 0.05–1.75) than those positioned using traditional positioning methods. No other significant differences were observed. Reductions in asymmetry among preterm infants is an important benefit of alternative positioning, as symmetrical movement and responses are crucial for early development. However, it will be important to follow this sample of preterm infants to determine the effects of early positioning on neurodevelopmental outcome in childhood.

ObjectiveTo explore differences in maternal factors, including visitation and holding, among premature infants cared for in single patient rooms (SPR) compared to open-bay in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).Study DesignEighty-one premature infants were assigned to a bed space in either the open-bay area or in a SPR upon NICU admission, based on bed space and staffing availability in each area. Parent visitation and holding were tracked through term equivalent, and parents completed a comprehensive questionnaire at discharge to describe maternal health. Additional maternal and medical factors were collected from the medical record. Differences in outcome variables were investigated using linear regression.ResultsNo significant differences in gestational age at birth, initial medical severity, hours of intubation, or other factors that could affect the outcome were observed across room type. Significantly more hours of visitation were observed in the first two weeks of life (p=.02) and in weeks three and four (p=.02) among infants in the SPR. More NICU stress was reported by mothers in the single patient room after controlling for social support (p=.04).ConclusionsIncreased parent visitation is an important benefit of the SPR, however, mothers with infants in the SPR reported more stress.

Background Standard-dose caffeine improves white matter microstructural development assessed by diffusion MRI. We hypothesized that early high-dose caffeine would result in further improvement in white matter microstructural development. Methods Seventy-four preterm infants (≤30 weeks gestational age) were randomly assigned to either a high (80 mg/kg IV) or standard (20 mg/kg IV) loading dose of caffeine citrate in the first 24 hours of life. MRI and neurobehavioral testing were undertaken at term equivalent age. Infants returned at 2 years of age for developmental testing. Results Clinical characteristics were similar between groups, with the exception of higher maternal age in the high-dose caffeine group. There was an increased incidence of cerebellar hemorrhage in infants randomized to high-dose caffeine (36% vs. 10%, p=0.03). Infants in the high-dose caffeine group also demonstrated more hypertonicity (p=0.02) and more deviant neurologic signs (p=0.04) at term equivalent age. Diffusion measures at term equivalent age and developmental outcomes at two years of age did not differ between groups. Conclusions Preterm infants randomized to early high-dose caffeine had a higher incidence of cerebellar injury with subsequent alterations in early motor performance. The results of this pilot trial discourage a larger randomized controlled trial.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effects of parental presence and infant holding in the NICU on neurobehavior at term equivalent.Study DesignProspective cohort enrolled 81 infants born <30 weeks gestation. Nurses tracked parent visitation, holding, and skin-to-skin care throughout the NICU hospitalization. At term, the NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale was administered. Associations between visitation, holding, and early neurobehavior were determined using linear and logistic regression.ResultsThe mean hours/week of parent visitation was 21.33±20.88 (median= 13.90; interquartile range 10.10–23.60). Infants were held an average of 2.29±1.47 days/week (median= 2.00; interquartile range 1.20–3.10). Over the admission, visitation hours decreased (p=0.01), while holding frequencies increased (p<0.001). More visitation was associated with better quality of movement (p=0.02), less arousal (p=0.01), less excitability (p=0.03), more lethargy (p=0.01) and more hypotonia (p<0.01). More holding was associated with improved quality of movement (p<0.01), less stress (p<0.01), less arousal (p=0.04) and less excitability (p<0.01).InterpretationInfants of caregivers who were visited and held more often in the NICU had differences in early neurobehavior by term equivalent, which supports increased early parenting in the NICU.

OBJECTIVE Very preterm infants hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) experience alterations in sensory experiences. Defining types, timing and frequency of sensory-based interventions that optimize outcomes can inform environmental modifications. The objective of this study was to conduct an integrative review on sensory-based interventions used with very preterm infants in the NICU to improve infant and parent outcomes. STUDY DESIGN The data sources include MEDLINE, CINAHL, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar. Studies were identified that used sensory-based interventions in the NICU with preterm infants born ≤32 weeks gestation, were published in a peer-reviewed journal between 1995 and 2015, and measured outcomes related to infant and parent outcomes. Studies were extracted from electronic databases and hand-searched from identified reference lists. RESULTS Eighty-eight articles were identified (31 tactile, 12 auditory, 3 visual, 2 kinesthetic, 2 gustatory/olfactory and 37 multimodal). There was evidence to support the use of kangaroo care, music and language exposure, and multimodal interventions starting at 25 to 28 weeks postmenstrual age. These interventions were related to better infant development and lower maternal stress, but not all findings were consistent. Limitations included lack of consistent outcome measures, study quality and gaps in the literature. CONCLUSIONS Most research identified interventions that were done for short periods of time. It is unclear what the potential is for improving outcomes if positive sensory exposures occur consistently throughout NICU hospitalization. Until more research defines appropriate sensory-based interventions to use with infants born very preterm in the NICU, information from this review can be combined with expert opinion and parent/family values to determine best practice.