Silent Neonatal Incubators, Prototype Nica+

Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare the noise levels in current incubator models and a prototype designed to improve acoustic comfort in neonatal incubators. Methods: Tests were carried out on three different models of incubators and a prototype called Neonatal Incubator Acoustic Comfort Class (NICA). The tests measured both internal and external sound pressure levels under laboratory conditions. The noise index has been taken as the A-weighted equivalent continuous sound pressure level (LAeq,T) for a time interval of 1 min. Results: The results obtained show variations between the different models of incubators, although, overall, they are high values (around 56/60 dBA). The results prove that premature newborns under normal conditions of using these incubators are exposed to noise levels above international recommendations. The new incubator design minimizes noise generation and generates noise levels lower than international recommendations. Conclusions: The results obtained from the prototype (NICA+) show the effectiveness of the proposed design in improving acoustic comfort in neonatal incubators. The data show that the noise levels generated by the prototype under normal operating conditions are significantly lower than international recommendations.