Effect of Nursing in the 'Three-Stair-Position' according to Kinaesthetic Infant Handling on the Incidence of Apnea Episodes in Preterm Infants

Objective: We investigated the effect of nursing in the three-stair-position (TSP) according to Kinaesthetic Infant Handling (KIH) on the incidence of apnea in preterm infants, compared to the horizontal position (HP) and the head elevated tilt position (HETP), respectively. Methods: Twenty spontaneously breathing preterm infants with idiopathic recurrent apnea were studied in a randomized controlled crossover trial. Each infant spent a total of 24 hours in the HP, the HETP and the TSP in random order. Transcutaneous arterial oxygen-saturation and heart rate were recorded continuously. The frequency of overall a…