Further observations on noise levels in infant incubators

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to conduct an acoustic analysis of incubator noise under two conditions: when the incubator was associated with different types of life-support equipment; and when impulse noise was created by striking the side of the incubator or by opening and closing the doors of the storage unit. It was found that the life-support equipment increased the overall noise levels of incubators by as much as 15 to 20 dB. Much of this increased energy was in the high frequency region. Impulse signals created by striking the side of the incubator ranged from 130 to 140 dB. A representative impulse for opening the incubator was 92.8 dB, whereas closing the door produced a peak amplitude of 114 dB.