[Effects of early multimodal stimulation on preterm newborn infants]

During the last trimester of pregnancy, newborns are deprived of both maternal biorhythms, tactile, kinesthetic and auditory stimulation which characterize the intrauterine environment. The purpose of this study is to determine if supplemental multimodal stimulation improves neurobehavioral performance, increases weight gain and shortens hospital stay. Nine neonates with the following characteristics were included in an early multimodal stimulation program: 1) gestational age less than or equal to 34 weeks, 2) feeding through orogastric tubing, 3) hemodynamically stable, with no signs of hemorrhaging, infections, or any suggestion of neurological damage, convulsions or congenital malformations. A control group with the same characteristics was also included in the study. Risk factors for each patient were evaluated and their evolution was closely watched while still in the hospital. Both the postural reflexes and neurobehavioral performance were assessed at the time the child left the hospital and a month afterwards. Statistically significant differences were found in the neurobehavioral performance and postural reflexes of those included in the study group.