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The Effects of Pacifier Activated Lullaby in VLBW Preterm Infants

Not Applicable
Completed
Conditions
Music Therapy
Interventions
Device: The effects of Pacifier Activated Lullaby in very low birth weigt preterm infants. An italian music therapy intervention
Registration Number
NCT04337476
Lead Sponsor
Ospedale di Circolo - Fondazione Macchi
Brief Summary

Music and music therapy, live or recorded, has been introduced in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the Del Ponte hospital in Varese in addition to standard medical and nursing care, to improve premature neonates' neurophysiological development.

Recent studies focused on the effects of the maternal voice or the entrained singing and live music, highlighting their benefits on neonates stress, on not-nutritive sucking and on the caloric intake.

Aim of our study is to evaluate the effect of parents singing or musictherapist singing admistered by Pacifier Activated Lullaby (PAL) on infant's behavior and nutritional outcomes.

Particularly, we will evaluate infants' Heart Rate Variability during music therapy session, exclusive oral feeding achievement, weigth increase and hospitalization in a group of preterm infants administered to PAL compared with a control group of preterm infants not exposed to PAL stimulus.

Detailed Description

A Prospective randomized controlled pilot study trial will be conducted. Infants will be evaluated at 32-34 post-conceptional weeks when the volume of milk assumed orally will be less than 50% of the total enteral intake.

Infants with gestational age less than 34 weeks will be enrolled. After the request for informed consent, participants will be randomized randomly through computerized.

The administration of the PAL and the reproduction of the relative voices will be performed by the music therapist.

Objective of this study is to evaluate the tolerance (in terms of clinical stability, described through the HRV parameter) of the PAL device by the enrolled customers and investigate any benefits of the positive reinforcement purchased, through its use, on the acquisition of food skills and on the growth of preterms.

Primary Outcome: Clinical Stability Using Heart Rate Variability (HRV) Measurement during the music therapy treatment.

Secondary Outcomes: effects of positive reinforcement (obtained through the use of the device PAL) on the acquisition of food skills and the growth of preterm consumers.

In particular:

* Evaluation of the achievement of the exclusive oral sucking

* Evaluation of the variation in the rate of meal intake between the beginning and the end of the intervention

* Assessment of the infant's weight gain in the 24 hours following stimulation

* Evaluation of the rate of growth from the last day of treatment to discharge.

* Duration of hospital stay.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
40
Inclusion Criteria
  • gestational age between the 23th and the 34th week, sufficient stability of the vital parameters and absence of active infections and episodes of apnoea during the 72 hours before the test
Exclusion Criteria
  • Chromosomal aberrations, congenital maxillofacial malformations, respiratory support at evaluation time Neonates with failed responses to bilateral hearing screening performed by Automated Auditory Brainstem Response testing will be subsequently excluded

Infants will be evaluated at 32-34 post-conceptional weeks when the volume of milk assumed orally will be less than 50% of the total enteral intake

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
singing of the music therapistThe effects of Pacifier Activated Lullaby in very low birth weigt preterm infants. An italian music therapy interventionMusic therapist will record two lullabies sung by themselves; lullabies will be part of traditional classical literature. The songs will be recorded and loaded on a simplified digital software to modify any background noise or pauses. The recording will be inserted in the usb / sd flash drive used directly by the PAL device. During the entire hospital stay, newborn babies will receive standard care in use in the neonatal intensive care unit
father's songThe effects of Pacifier Activated Lullaby in very low birth weigt preterm infants. An italian music therapy interventionAt the suggestion of the music therapist, the fathers of each child will record two lullabies sung by themselves; lullabies will be part of traditional classical literature. The songs will be recorded and loaded on a simplified digital software to modify any background noise or pauses. The recording will be inserted in the usb / sd flash drive used directly by the PAL device. During the entire hospital stay, newborn babies will receive standard care in use in the neonatal intensive care unit
mother's songThe effects of Pacifier Activated Lullaby in very low birth weigt preterm infants. An italian music therapy interventionAt the suggestion of the music therapist, the mothers of each child will record two lullabies sung by themselves; lullabies will be part of traditional classical literature. The songs will be recorded and loaded on a simplified digital software to modify any background noise or pauses. The recording will be inserted in the usb / sd flash drive used directly by the PAL device. During the entire hospital stay, newborn babies will receive standard care in use in the neonatal intensive care unit
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Heart Rate Variabilitythrough study completion (from 5 minutes before the test to 5 minutes after the test ended)

Heart Rate Variability (HRV) according to different music genres listening. An electrocardiogram is performed to evaluate HRV parameters during the test's administration

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Full oral feedingmore or less than 35 post conceptional weeks

Full oral feeding (\> 150 ml/kg/day) achievement, expressed as post-conceptional weeks.

oral feeding velocitymore or less than 30 minutes

time (expressed as minutes) necessary to consume oral feeding

weight gain24 hours after test

% weight increase 24 hours after test administration

lenght of staymore or less than 36 post conceptional weeks

length of hospitalization (expressed as post-conceptional weeks at discharge)

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Ospedale F. Del Ponte

🇮🇹

Varese, Italy

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