Premature infants in neonatal intensive care units are exposed to high levels of noise, especially from respiratory support equipment used to treat conditions like neonatal respiratory distress syndrome. These elevated sound levels can exceed recommended limits and pose risks to hearing and brain development.
"One of the biggest sources of noise is the respiratory support equipment used to treat neonatal respiratory distress syndrome, which is a common complication in children born before 34 weeks," said Simone Conta, senior adviser at SINTEF. Conta added that "untreated hearing loss can in turn affect speech, language and cognitive and social development - which can naturally have a major impact on the child's quality of life."
To address these challenges, the Norwegian Prematurity Association has launched an interdisciplinary project with SINTEF, Rikshospitalet, and St. Olavs Hospital, supported by the DAM Foundation. The project aims to reduce noise exposure for premature children who require respiratory support.
The research team is focusing on non-invasive respiratory support systems often used continuously over several weeks. By identifying changes in equipment design, settings, and clinical routines, they hope to lower noise levels in neonatal care environments.
"We are well aware that neonatal intensive care units are very noisy for premature babies. So reducing the noise where possible will be of great help. Our aim is for the knowledge from this project to lead to real improvements in neonatal care," said Hege A. Nordhus, CEO of Prematurforeningen.
The initiative also seeks to provide healthcare professionals with practical guidance and tools to improve conditions for premature infants during extended hospital stays.
"The unique thing about this project is that it's not just about research, but about immediate effect. By sharing knowledge with the manufacturers of technical medical equipment, hospital management, doctors and nurses, support measures can quickly benefit patients and their families," said Conta.
The collaboration highlights ongoing efforts to ensure life-saving technology does not adversely affect vulnerable newborns.
