Vibrotactile Stimulation for Treatment of Neonatal Apnea: A Preliminary Study 1059

Effect of Tactile Stimulation on Termination and Prevention of Apnea of Prematurity: A Systematic Review

“…Camargo et al ( 20 ) observed resumption of breathing following vibratory stimulation in 9 of 10 apneas. The other two studies reported that the vibrating stimulation was as effective as manual stimulation in aborting apneic spells ( 19 , 23 ), but that the duration of the vibratory stimulus was shorter than the manual stimulation. The response time for mechanical stimulation was shorter than for manual stimulation in the study of Pichardo et al ( 19 ) while in the study of Lovell et al, they were of equal duration ( 23 ).…”

“…The mean GA varied between studies from 28 to 31.25 weeks and the mean birth weight varied from 1,280 to 1,495.5 g. Two studies only reported inclusion criteria instead of mean values for GA and birth weight ( 19 , 22 ). In one study, aminophylline was administered during the study, which started 7 days after birth ( 23 ). Frank et al only included sleeping infants ( 24 ).…”

“…The included studies described different study designs: two observational ( 22 , 24 ) and two randomized crossover studies ( 19 , 23 ). In the observational studies the amount of successfully terminated apneas were compared with the total amount of apneas.…”

“…In the randomized crossover studies, the infants were stimulated alternately by hand or with an automatic device for a set time. Lovell et al ( 23 ) used periods of 8 h with a total time of 16 h, and Pichardo et al ( 19 ) used periods of 12 h with a total time of 24 h.…”

“…The remaining two studies used similar systems, which were manually actuated by the nurses. Lovell et al ( 23 ) recorded HR and oxygen saturation and used a 3-s vibrating stimulus of 250 Hz at the foot sole. Pichardo et al ( 19 ) additionally recorded airflow, electrocardiogram and thoracic impedance and used the same apparatus with the same stimulus but applied it at the thorax.…”