Incidence of Intermittent Hypoxemia Increases during Clinical Care and Parental Touch in Extremely Preterm Infants

Objectives: An increased frequency of intermittent hypoxemia (IH) is associated with a higher risk for poor developmental outcomes, disability, or death in extremely preterm infants. The objective of the prFesent study is to quantify the effect of hands-on medical and parental interventions on the incidence of IH in extremely preterm infants. Methods: An observational design with intraindividual comparisons was used. Blood oxygen saturation levels (SpO2) and time-lapse video were recorded. Frequency, duration, and time to occurrence of IH (SpO2 <80% for ≥10 s) were compared between nursing and medical care (NMC), health care by parents, skin-to-skin contact (SSC), touch in incubator, physiotherapy, and rest. Each infant was observed for six consecutive 24-h periods. Inclusion criteria were as follows: gestational age ≤28 weeks, birth weight <1500 g, postnatal age 0–6 weeks, gavage feeding, no severe illnesses or invasive procedures, no mechanical ventilation. Results: The highest proportion of time with IH occurred during NMC (2.49%) and incubator touch (1.32%), the lowest during SSC (0.74%) and health care by parents (0.67%). IH frequency per hour was highest during NMC (2.95, IQR 1.19–4.01) and lowest during SSC (0.88, IQR 0.37–2.32, p < 0.001). While an increase in IH during NMC was expected, the high incidence during incubator touch was surprising. Parental touch in the incubator is intended to be soothing, not stressful. Conclusions: Future studies need to clarify how preterm infants process touch, which attributes of touch are fundamental trigger mechanisms of IH, and which handling strategies are most effective in lowering the incidence of IH during hands-on medical care.