Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 25, 2026
Neonatal Murine Cochlear Explant Technique as an In Vitro Screening Tool in Hearing Research
Published on: June 8, 2017
A randomized clinical trial evaluating silicone earplugs for very low birth weight newborns in intensive care
C Abou Turk1, A L Williams, R E Lasky
1Pediatric Group of Acadiana, New Iberia, LA, USA.
Objective:
To determine whether very low birth weight (VLBW) newborns (<1500 g) wearing silicone earplugs grow larger and perform better on developmental exams than controls.
Study Design:
VLBW newborns (n=34) were randomized to wearing earplugs or not. Hospital outcomes were abstracted from medical charts by research staff masked to intervention status. Fourteen extremely low birth weight (ELBW) newborns (<1000 g) were also evaluated at 18 to 22 months.
Result:
After adjusting for birth weight, 11 surviving newborns in the earplug group were 225 g (95% CI: 45, 405) heavier at 34 weeks post menstrual age than the 13 controls. Six ELBW earplug infants scored 15.53 points (95% CI: 3.03, 28.02) higher than six controls on the Bayley Mental Development Index. Their head circumferences were 2.59 cm (95% CI: 0.97, 4.21) larger.
Conclusion:
Earplugs may facilitate weight gain in VLBW newborns. Better outcomes may persist at 18 to 22 months at least in ELBW infants.
More Related Videos
11:50Clinical Practice Protocol of Creative Music Therapy for Preterm Infants and Their Parents in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Published on: January 7, 2020
06:55A Surgical Procedure for the Administration of Drugs to the Inner Ear in a Non-Human Primate Common Marmoset (Callithrix jacchus)
Published on: February 27, 2018