Massage for Newborns Receiving Nasal CPAP

One of the most frequently required treatments for respiratory distress in neonatal intensive care is continuous positive airway pressure (NCPAP) support through the nose. NCPAP application has many advantages but also disadvantages and complications.

Gastric-abdominal distension, which is a complication of NCPAP application, is caused by gas entering the stomach and gastrointestinal tract. Feeding intolerance may develop in the newborn due to abdominal distension. In recent studies, it has been determined that non-pharmacological methods and supportive developmental care practices used to increase the comfort and reduce pain and stress of babies who experience painful procedures such as NCPAP application and who are exposed to the stressful neonatal intensive care unit environment are effective in increasing comfort and reducing pain and stress. These practices include therapeutic touch, mother's voice, fetal position, white noise, lullaby, wrapping and massage. In the literature, a quasi-experimental study examining the effect of massage (Field massage technique) on the respiration, heart rate and oxygen saturation of 28-34 week old newborns with respiratory distress syndrome who received nasal CPAP showed that massage had no significant effect on oxygen saturation, but respiration and heart rate decreased after the massage. has been determined. There are studies in the literature examining the effects of therapeutic touch, mother's voice, fetal position, white noise, lullaby and wrapping in order to increase the comfort of newborns receiving nasal CPAP, reduce stress and pain, and prolong sleep time. However, no research has been found in the literature examining the effects of massage on the stress, comfort and health parameters of newborns receiving nasal CPAP.