The Effect of Music Listening on Physiological Responses of Premature Infants in the NICU

In this study 20 low birthweight infants of 24–30 weeks gestation age, who were being oxygenated in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), served as subjects during their first week of life. Ten infants listened to lullabies through Bio-logic insert earphones with ALGO Ear Couplers™ and 10 infants served as control subjects. All subjects passed an auditory brainstem response (ABR) procedure to insure that audiological responses were consistent with normal hearing. Experimental treatment occurred across 3 days and was conducted in an ABABABABA design, with data collected during five segments of four minutes each of silence alterna ting with four segments of four minutes each of music. Oxygen saturation levels, heart rate, respiratory rate, and number of apnea/bradycardia episodes were recorded once per minute for the duration of baseline and treatment conditions (36 minutes). Results indicated that music was not contraindicated in the first week of life for these very low birthweight infants for whom sensory stimulation is usually restricted. In fact, music had noticeably positive effects on oxygen saturation levels, heart rate, and respiratory rate. No increase in apnea/bradycardia episodes following music treatment were observed.