The SSSH's: SNOO Smart Sleeper Use in Post-Operative Infants With Congenital Heart

Infants with congenital heart disease (CHD) are a low frequency but high acuity and stress population in the pediatric hospital setting. There are approximately 300 patients admitted a year that require cardiac surgery and are under the age of 6 months at Children's Mercy. These patients may spend less time in the hospital, but the care they require is often complex resulting in potential hemodynamic changes and pain responses for the infants. Smart technologies are used in CHD populations like single ventricle interstage monitoring at home, CHAMP App, but there are opportunities for baby-parent-nurse in-hospital smart solutions such as the SNOO Smart Sleeper bassinet by Happiest Baby INC . The SNOO Smart Sleeper has been used in more than 20 other hospitals across the country, including The University of Kansas Health System, mainly for infants related to preterm or neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). The SNOO utilizes some of the components of the 5 S's (swaddling, side/stomach position, shushing, swinging, and sucking) to aid as physical interventions for infant pain. This has been shown to be effective for pain reduction and less crying time after painful procedures . The calming response for infants has been seen to improve with soothing of the infant through supine mechanical movement, swaddling, and sound . A prospective observational cohort of preterm (32-36 weeks GA) neonates found that intermittent hypoxia and bradycardia significantly declined after use of womb-like soothing sound. The auditory neural pathways have close anatomical connection to the autonomic nervous system and the potential for auditory to parasympathetic response and reduced cardiac and respiratory rates are intriguing for evaluation in the infant population after cardiac surgery. The SNOO has yet to be used in the post-operative pediatric CHD population in the inpatient setting. The success in other fragile infant populations lends to a possible new area for use in the high risk CHD population in the post-operative recovery phase related to pain and hemodynamic changes.