Pilot Testing a Robot for Reducing Pain in Hospitalized Preterm Infants

Area of Science:

• Neonatal occupational therapy
• Developmental pediatrics
• Robotics in healthcare

Background:

• Optimizing neurodevelopment is crucial for preterm infants.
• Repeated procedural pain negatively impacts long-term neurodevelopment.
• The robot Calmer is designed to mitigate infant pain.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of the Calmer robot on heart rate variability (HRV) in preterm infants during blood collection.
• To compare physiological stress responses between infants receiving standard care and those treated with Calmer.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled pilot trial involving 10 preterm infants.
• Infants were assigned to either standard care (facilitated tucking) or Calmer treatment.
• Continuous HRV monitoring and spectral analysis (HF and LF power) during baseline, heel poke, and recovery phases.

Main Results:

• Calmer treatment group exhibited significantly greater parasympathetic (PS) activation.
• PS activation was 90% higher during baseline, 82% during heel poke, and 24% during recovery compared to standard care.
• Calmer effectively reduced physiological pain reactivity in preterm infants.

Conclusions:

• The Calmer robot demonstrates potential in reducing procedural pain and physiological stress in preterm infants.
• This technology may offer a novel approach to support neurodevelopmental outcomes in vulnerable neonates.
• Further research is warranted to confirm these findings in larger trials.