Pediatric Resident New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital Brooklyn, New York, United States
Background: The premature infant responds to environmental stimuli by exhibiting either stressful or self-regulating behavior. Russell et. al. assessed the effects of positive olfactory and tactile stimuli through the use of a maternally scented device mimicking the weight and shape of an adult forearm. Infants treated with the device were more likely to display self-regulating behavior and less likely to experience physiologic instability (Russell). Some NICUs have utilized knit octopi as a therapeutic device, theorizing that the soft knit tentacles mimic the tactile experience of the umbilical cord. Objective: The purpose of this interventional study is to explore the effect of a knit octopus imprinted with the maternal scent, on the behavior and physiologic status of premature infants born between 24 and 32 weeks. Additionally, the tentacles of the octopus may be a tactile alternative to medical equipment and lead to fewer unplanned displacements. Design/Methods: Study participants are assigned to one of three treatment groups: Control, Octopus, or Octopus with mother’s scent. Each group is observed for changes in vital signs: the control without intervention, the octopus participants with a crocheted octopus toy, and the scented octopus group with an octopus which one of the parents have scented by applying it to the skin of the chest for 30 minutes prior to the observation. Observations take place on three separate occasions (T1, T2, T3). Each observation lasts 15 minutes with vitals recorded at 0, 5, 10, and 15 minutes. The vital signs include Heart Rate, Respiratory Rate, and Oxygen Saturation. Observation parameters include both discrete (frown, startles, yawns, finger splays, sitting on air, equipment/octopus touches), and continuous variables (crying, sleeping, tremors, relaxed facial expression, awake, upper extremity salutes). The enrollment goal is 36 participants, 12 to each groups. Infants under sedation, and infants with anomalies affecting hand development are not included in the study.
