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The Incubator Experience

Listening to Speech and Music Inside a Neonatal Incubator

What does a preterm infant hear inside an incubator? This study examines how speech, music, respiratory support, and environmental sounds are transmitted into the incubator and altered by its acoustic properties.

Original Research Article | Frontiers in Psychology, 26 May 2020
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01055

Authors

Matthias Bertsch1*, Christoph Reuter2, Isabella Czedik-Eysenberg2, Angelika Berger3, Monika Olischar3, Lisa Bartha-Doering3, and Vito Giordano3

1 Department of Music Physiology, University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, Vienna, Austria
2 Department of Musicology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
3 Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Division of Neonatology, Pediatric Intensive Care and Neuropediatrics, Comprehensive Center for Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria

Matthias Bertsch during acoustic measurements at the Pediatric Simulation Center.

360-degree view from inside the incubator with Matthias Bertsch, Vito Giordano, and Christoph Reuter

Incubator in the simulation room at Vienna General Hospital

Experimental setup for acoustic measurements inside and outside the incubator.

A covered incubator provides only limited additional acoustic protection.

Recording microphone positioned close to the neonatal simulation mannequin during respiratory support.

Study Overview

Background: The auditory experience of a preterm infant differs substantially from that of an adult and from the protected acoustic environment in the womb. Sound levels in neonatal intensive care units frequently exceed recommended thresholds. The study therefore examined sound dynamics inside an incubator and explored what an infant can hear “inside the box.”

Methods: Audio recordings were made at the Pediatric Simulation Center of the Medical University of Vienna. The acoustic test material included speech, singing, music, broadband noise, sine waves, and frequency sweeps. Measurements were conducted inside and outside the incubator under different conditions, including open access doors and various levels of respiratory support.

Results: The incubator attenuated some external sounds above 500 Hz but strongly amplified low frequencies below approximately 125 Hz. Opening the access doors increased the transmission of higher-frequency sounds. An incubator cover provided almost no additional acoustic protection. Even low levels of respiratory support produced a substantial masking effect that could make speech and music difficult to hear.

Conclusion: The incubator does not provide uniform protection against noise. Its resonances, respiratory support, and handling substantially shape the sounds experienced by the infant. Reducing unnecessary noise and improving awareness among clinical staff and family members may help create a more supportive auditory environment for preterm infants.

Key Findings

  • The acoustic environment inside an incubator differs markedly from what adults hear outside.
  • External sounds above approximately 500 Hz are partly attenuated.
  • Low-frequency sounds below approximately 125 Hz can be strongly amplified.
  • An incubator cover provides little additional acoustic protection.
  • Opening access doors increases the transmission of higher-frequency sounds.
  • Respiratory support can mask speech, music, and other meaningful auditory stimuli.

Explore the Incubator Experience

Press and Media Coverage

Universities and Scientific Media

  • Medical University of Vienna
    Premature babies: High exposure to noise in the incubator

  • Medical Xpress
    Premature babies are exposed to high noise levels in the incubator

  • News Medical
    Premature babies are exposed to high noise levels in the incubator, study shows

  • UNInteressant – Universities Austria and the Austrian Science Fund
    Wie laut ist es im Brutkasten?

  • APA-OTS
    Frühgeborene: Hohe Lärmbelastung im Brutkasten

News Coverage in Austria and Germany

Further International Coverage

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