situation prematurity
- The number of the premature infants rises. Every year, an estimated 15 million babies are born preterm (before 37 completed weeks of gestation), and this number is rising. (WHO 2018).
- The medical and technical possibilities are meanwhile very good. The incubator helps the babies to develop and stabilize all vital functions e.g. heart and respiration rate.
- Through the use of medicines the not yet sufficiently developed vital functions are additionally supported.
- It is a new tendency to improve the preemies quality of life in the intensive care unit (N.I.C.U) and their development period followed thereafter and to reduce or avoid damages beyond that.
Problem: Through the necessary medical equipment the preemies in the incubator are exposed to a high noise level. In addition it is not possible to avoid the environemental noise by the hospital personnel in the respective unit rooms and at home. The baby, its hearing is already completely developed in the 6th pregnancy month, hears everything and is thereby additionally set under stress.
Result: Thanks to the medical progress today the chances of survival for prematurely born babies are very high. The risk of health impairments in the later life can be decreased by additional therapies.