"When I saw the positive outcomes of the study done in Israel, I approached UCI about instituting our own study, using bedside nurses to perform the exercises," said Maria Coussens, the study's co-investigator and UCI neonatal intensive care unit nurse. "It's exciting that our pilot study has now led to a National Institutes of Health effort to promote more positive outcomes for these fragile, tiny babies."
As part of the study, nurses will perform daily range of motion exercises to the arm and leg joints of about 200 premature infants for four weeks. A series of tests will be performed to monitor progress, including blood tests to measure growth hormones and ultrasounds to evaluate bone density. In addition, the study will use state-of-the-art techniques and minimally invasive technologies to measure muscle mass, bone strength and levels of physical activity.
The incidence of pre-term births (infants born at less than 37 weeks gestation) continues to increase, and identifying approaches that optimize weight gain and reduce length of stay remains one of the greatest challenges in current neonatal practice. Weight gain is a critical determinant of healthy outcomes in the NICU, and exercise interventions that improve body mass accrual could ultimately reduce length of stay and influence standard of care.
"This is UCI's first nurse-led grant sponsored by the National Institute of Nursing Research," said Dr. Dan Cooper
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Contact: Kim Pine
kpine@uci.edu
714-456-7759
University of California - Irvine
10-Oct-2005