Technology and quantitative techniques for monitoring multi-faceted neonatal data

A microprocessor-based system has been developed to evaluate the effects of environmental stimuli on infants in the neonatal intensive care unit. Physiological parameters, such as heart rate, respiration, blood pressure, and transcutaneous oxygen and CO₂ levels are routinely monitored in the nursery by standard intensive care monitoring instruments. These outputs are digitized and recorded by a 80286 computer. A hand-held computer is implemented, in parallel to record and code observations of the infant´s behavioral state. Up to 32 observations can be coded every 60 seconds and transmitted to the PC by an RS-232 link. Illumination and sound levels are measured by light-meter and sound-level modules, providing analog voltage outputs which are sampled by the computer