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Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
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Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale

Published on: August 25, 2014

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Impact of hospital-based environmental exposures on neurodevelopmental outcomes of preterm infants

Janelle Santos1, Sarah E Pearce, Annemarie Stroustrup

  • 1aIcahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai bDepartment of Pediatrics, Division of Newborn Medicine cDepartment of Preventive Medicine, Ichan School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.

Current Opinion in Pediatrics
|January 31, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) environments expose preterm infants to factors impacting neurodevelopment. Understanding these exposures is crucial for improving long-term neurobehavioral health in this vulnerable population.

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Health
  • Neurodevelopmental Pediatrics
  • Neonatal Intensive Care

Background:

  • Over 300,000 infants annually require neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) hospitalization in the U.S.
  • The NICU stay occurs during a critical developmental window for neurobehavioral function.
  • Environmental exposures in early life significantly influence long-term neurobehavioral outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review existing evidence on NICU environmental exposures and their impact on preterm infants' neurodevelopment.
  • To highlight the critical role of the NICU environment in shaping neurobehavioral outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • This is a review article, synthesizing findings from existing research.
  • Evidence linking specific NICU exposures to neurodevelopmental outcomes was examined.

Main Results:

  • Preterm infants in the NICU face multiple environmental exposures affecting neurodevelopment.
  • Key exposures include NICU physical layout, light and sound management, social interactions, and chemical exposures.
  • These factors are critical for long-term neurobehavioral outcomes in vulnerable preterm infants.

Conclusions:

  • NICU environments present a combination of excessive stimuli (chemicals, light, sound) and sensory deprivation (touch, speech).
  • The cumulative impact of these co-exposures on preterm infant neurodevelopment requires further elucidation.
  • Research on the NICU as an environmental health factor is emerging and vital for identifying modifiable factors influencing neurobehavioral health.
Abstract

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