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Cycled Lighting Versus Continuous Near Darkness in Preterm Infants: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Sema Arayici1, Gulsum Kadioglu Simsek2, Nurdan Uras3
1Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Faculty of Medicine, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey.
Insights
Cycled lighting (CL) and continuous near darkness (CND) showed no significant difference in preterm infant weight outcomes. Both lighting strategies were equally effective for infant growth and development.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care
- Pediatric endocrinology
Background:
- Preterm infants require specialized care to optimize growth and development.
- Lighting environments in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) may influence infant outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the effectiveness of cycled lighting (CL) versus continuous near darkness (CND) on weight and other key outcomes in preterm infants.
Main Methods:
- 147 preterm infants (gestational age 25-32 weeks or birth weight 750-1500g) were allocated to CL or CND groups.
- Key outcomes measured included weight, temperature, hormone levels (growth hormone, cortisol, melatonin), feeding time, ventilation duration, retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), and length of stay.
Main Results:
- No significant differences were observed between CL and CND groups in weight at various time points (day 14, 35 weeks PMA, 3 & 6 months corrected age).
- Anthropometric parameters, rectal temperature, serum hormone levels, feeding, ventilation, ROP incidence, and hospital length of stay were similar between the groups.
Conclusions:
- Neither cycled lighting nor continuous near darkness demonstrated a significant advantage over the other for preterm infant growth and development.
- The choice between CL and CND may not critically impact key neonatal outcomes.
Objective:
To compare the effectiveness of cycled lighting (CL) or continuous near darkness (CND) on weight in preterm infants.
Study Design:
Total 147 infants with a gestational age 25-32 weeks and/or a birth weight 750-1500 g were included in the study. The infants were classified into two groups: CL and CND. Weight on postnatal day 14, weight at corrected 35 weeks, mean rectal temperature and serum growth hormone, cortisol, melatonin levels at 35 weeks' post menstrual age (PMA), weekly weight gain, full enteral feeding time, duration of mechanical ventilation, retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), length of stay in the hospital, weight and length at three and six months corrected age were compared between the groups.
Results:
There were no differences between weights on postnatal day 14. Anthropometric parameters and mean rectal temperatures of groups also were not different at 35 weeks' PMA. There were no differences among the groups in duration of full enteral feeding time, length of stay in hospitalization, duration of mechanical ventilation, ROP and anthropometric parameters. Further, serum growth hormone, cortisol, and melatonin levels were similar between the groups at 35 weeks' PMA.
Conclusion:
CL and CND did not have any advantages over each other.
