RESPONSE OF NEONATES TO VIBROACOUSTIC STIMULATION

The response to vibroacoustic stimulation was evaluated in 30 healthy full-term newborns and in five newborns with severe neurologic deficit s. The stimulus was applied during a period of quite sleep and a subse quent period of quiet sleep served as the control. All 30 healthy newb orns reacted by changing from a state of quiet sleep to an active slee p state as determined by heart rate acceleration, irregular respiratio n, and the appearance of limb movements. Heart rate increased by 19.5 +/- 9.7 beats/min (mean +/- SD) for a mean duration of 21.4 +/- 11.9 s econds. The five newborns with severe neurologic deficits did not show any response to vibroacoustic stimulation, and auditory brainstem evo ked responses were also absent. We conclude that this technique may be useful as a screening procedure in the evaluation of the neurologic i ntegrity of newborn infants.