Monday, 01. February 2010

SoundEar Signs Mean Silence is Golden in NICU

Gabriel and Erryn Suen and their daughter Isabelle pose with one of the SoundEar signs that was purchased with their generous donation to the Royal Alexandra Hospital's NICU.

Parents and their fragile newborns will have some added safety at the Stollery Children's Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Royal Alexandra Hospital site, thanks to a generous donor gift to the NICU.

SoundEar noise meters are designed to measure the sound level in a room and give warnings when things get too loud. Premature babies are particularly sensitive to sound and so the SoundEar signs are proving to be extremely helpful as parents take care of their babies during their first delicate weeks.

When sound levels are acceptable, the SoundEar sign stays green. When sound levels approach a danger threshold, the sign turns orange. Once things get too loud, the sign turns red, an obvious warning to quiet things down. Sound levels in an average quiet room are around 40 decibels; adult conversation ranges from 45 to 65 decibels. Recommended average sound levels in the NICU are about 40 decibels, so that routine tasks such as opening a baby's chart or moving a chair have to be done with caution.

"A premature baby is supposed to be in the womb, listening to the sounds of his mother's voice and body" explains Dr. Juzer Tyebkhan, Neonatologist at the Royal Alexandra Hospital and Associate Clinical Professor with the Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta. "The development of the baby's brain and its connections with the senses requires gentle, modulated stimulation within the protection of the mother's womb. The NICU bombards the baby with loud, chaotic noise which doesn't allow restful sleep. And when awake, this level of noise makes it almost impossible for a baby to focus on their parents' voices. If we don't try to reduce this loud, chaotic noise, we are not helping premature baby brain development. The SoundEar is one method to remind everyone in the NICU that ‘silence is golden'."

The SoundEar signs were made possible by a gift to the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation from Dr. Gabriel Suen and his wife Erryn. In the spring of 2009, the Suens were expecting their second child, due in the summer, when Erryn went into labour after only 27 weeks. Their daughter Rebecca was born at the Misericordia Hospital and then sent to the Royal Alexandra Hospital's NICU for stabilization.

The Suens spent four weeks in the NICU hoping that the fragile Rebecca would be alright. "It all happened so quickly," says Gabriel. "We spent a month of just living day to day with Rebecca, doing all we could. She reached a point where she was getting better but then she went into septic shock and passed away."

Though grieving, Gabriel explains that he and his wife were inspired to make a donation to the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation after they sensed a need for some perks at the NICU. "For a month, we spent every waking moment here. That was tough, but we had a lot of support and help from our families. But we realized that not everyone has those resources and decided it would be nice if the NICU had a few things that were missing."

"There are a lot of things that the NICU would love to have in order to make the unit as comfortable as possible for newborns and their parents," explains Anne Dixon, Manager, Northern Alberta Neo Natal Program, Alberta Health Services. "So we keep a wish list of items and the Suens' donation allowed us to cross a few items off that list, which is wonderful. We're very grateful for their support."

Besides the SoundEar signs, the Suens' donation enabled the Royal Alex NICU to purchase some useful medical items, including a Creamatocrit system (a machine that analyzes the content of a mother's breast milk) and six refrigerators used for storing breast milk. Also made possible was the purchase of a digital camera along with an ink jet printer so that families can have high quality photos of their newborns. Finally, for the younger members of their families, some toys were purchased. "Our little daughter Isabelle needed some distractions when she came to visit," laughs Erryn. "So we're happy that they have some toys."

Gabriel and Erryn are now expecting another child.