The Importance of Noise Attenuation Levels in Neonatal Incubators
Background: It is known that high noise levels can be harmful to preterm infants, causing physiological and psychological disorders. It is also known that premature babies spend a lot of time in an incubator. In this sense, many studies show that incubator noise levels can range from 45 to 70 dB. Ho...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-09-01
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| Series: | Acoustics |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2624-599X/4/4/49 |
| _version_ | 1827642396015329280 |
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| author | Francisco Fernández-Zacarías Virginia Puyana-Romero Ricardo Hernández-Molina |
| author_facet | Francisco Fernández-Zacarías Virginia Puyana-Romero Ricardo Hernández-Molina |
| author_sort | Francisco Fernández-Zacarías |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: It is known that high noise levels can be harmful to preterm infants, causing physiological and psychological disorders. It is also known that premature babies spend a lot of time in an incubator. In this sense, many studies show that incubator noise levels can range from 45 to 70 dB. However, these differences in noise levels depend, fundamentally, on the wide range of methodology that can be used. This study aims to know the levels of noise from a fan in the incubator itself and how much it can isolate the noises coming from the outside. Methods: For this purpose, the noise levels of three incubators were measured within a sound-dampened booth for free-field audiometry. For the emission of acoustic energy, a pink noise generator was used; likewise, two microphones were placed, one inside the incubator cabin and the other outside, to determine the acoustic insulation levels of the tested incubators. Results: The incubators produced equivalent continuous sound pressure levels between 53.5 and 58 dB. Acoustic insulation analysis showed that levels varied from one incubator to another, between 5.2 and 10.4 dB. Conclusions: It is necessary to improve the acoustic insulation inside the incubator cabin and to reduce the noise levels of the motor fan. On the other hand, although the incubators are meeting the noise criteria set out in the IEC60601-2-19: 2009 standard of 60 dBA, under normal use conditions, they are still far from the limit recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (45 dBA). |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T17:27:46Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-43737656c3af445eac9967cdee3c812b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2624-599X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T17:27:46Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Acoustics |
| spelling | doaj.art-43737656c3af445eac9967cdee3c812b2023-11-24T12:34:36ZengMDPI AGAcoustics2624-599X2022-09-014482183310.3390/acoustics4040049The Importance of Noise Attenuation Levels in Neonatal IncubatorsFrancisco Fernández-Zacarías0Virginia Puyana-Romero1Ricardo Hernández-Molina2Acoustic Engineering Laboratory, University of Cadiz, 11510 Puerto Real, SpainAcoustic Engineering Laboratory, University of Cadiz, 11510 Puerto Real, SpainAcoustic Engineering Laboratory, University of Cadiz, 11510 Puerto Real, SpainBackground: It is known that high noise levels can be harmful to preterm infants, causing physiological and psychological disorders. It is also known that premature babies spend a lot of time in an incubator. In this sense, many studies show that incubator noise levels can range from 45 to 70 dB. However, these differences in noise levels depend, fundamentally, on the wide range of methodology that can be used. This study aims to know the levels of noise from a fan in the incubator itself and how much it can isolate the noises coming from the outside. Methods: For this purpose, the noise levels of three incubators were measured within a sound-dampened booth for free-field audiometry. For the emission of acoustic energy, a pink noise generator was used; likewise, two microphones were placed, one inside the incubator cabin and the other outside, to determine the acoustic insulation levels of the tested incubators. Results: The incubators produced equivalent continuous sound pressure levels between 53.5 and 58 dB. Acoustic insulation analysis showed that levels varied from one incubator to another, between 5.2 and 10.4 dB. Conclusions: It is necessary to improve the acoustic insulation inside the incubator cabin and to reduce the noise levels of the motor fan. On the other hand, although the incubators are meeting the noise criteria set out in the IEC60601-2-19: 2009 standard of 60 dBA, under normal use conditions, they are still far from the limit recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (45 dBA).https://www.mdpi.com/2624-599X/4/4/49neonatessound pressureincubatorsnoise sourceNICUrisk in preterm infants |
| spellingShingle | Francisco Fernández-Zacarías Virginia Puyana-Romero Ricardo Hernández-Molina The Importance of Noise Attenuation Levels in Neonatal Incubators Acoustics neonates sound pressure incubators noise source NICU risk in preterm infants |
| title | The Importance of Noise Attenuation Levels in Neonatal Incubators |
| title_full | The Importance of Noise Attenuation Levels in Neonatal Incubators |
| title_fullStr | The Importance of Noise Attenuation Levels in Neonatal Incubators |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Importance of Noise Attenuation Levels in Neonatal Incubators |
| title_short | The Importance of Noise Attenuation Levels in Neonatal Incubators |
| title_sort | importance of noise attenuation levels in neonatal incubators |
| topic | neonates sound pressure incubators noise source NICU risk in preterm infants |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2624-599X/4/4/49 |
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