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Volume 4
Journal of Pediatric Care
ISSN: 2471-805X
Page 63
JOINT EVENT
May 07-08, 2018 Frankfurt, Germany
&
3
rd
International Conference on
Pediatrics and Pediatric Surgery
22
nd
Edition of International Conference on
Neonatology and Perinatology
Cumulative stressors in preterm infants hospitalized in neonatal intensive care units
Mahni Rahkar Farshi
1
, Fatemeh Ghorbani
1
, Sina Pakdel
2
, Mahnaz Jabraeili
1
and
Roya Sabouhi
3
1
Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Iran
2
Legal Medicine Organization, Tehran, Iran
3
Alzahra Hospital - Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Iran
Background:
Infants’ exposure to stressors in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and its outcomes is a new issue since
previous studies have only focused on painful stimuli. Taking into account frequency and severity of the stressors on each
infant, short and long-term outcome of these stressors can be improved.
Objectives:
This study aimed to evaluate the cumulative stressors in premature infants hospitalized in a NICU.
Methods:
In this descriptive study, 197 hospitalized preterm infants between 28 to 30 weeks of gestation were studied in terms
of cumulative stressors during 10 days at the NICU of Tabriz Alzahra Hospital. Consecutive sampling method was used.
Demographic questionnaire and neonatal infant stressor scale were used. Descriptive statistics, repeated measures analysis and
Pearson’s correlation coe cient tests were used to analyze the data.
Results:
The total mean of stress scores during 10 days was 99.44±17.37. Multiple attempts to insert intravenous and intra-
arterial catheters and intubation were the most frequent procedures in the extremely stressful category among four categories
of stressors. The highest scores of acute and chronic stress were related to the tenth and third day of hospitalization, respectively.
There was no significant di erence between infants’ characteristics and total mean stress scores. Repeated measures analysis
showed that the mean acute stress scores were significantly di erent among the 10 subsequent days (P<0.05).
Conclusions:
The results of this study demonstrated the frequent occurrence of various procedures in preterm infants
hospitalized at the NICU. Although these procedures were done with the purpose of improving infant’s health, they can lead to
problems and complications, which might postpone the infant’s recovery process.
m.rahkarfarshi@gmail.comJ Pediatr Care, Volume 4
DOI: 10.21767/2471-805X-C2-009