Efeitos da fisioterapia de imersão no ofurô sobre os sinais vitais, dor e o desconforto respiratório leve em prematuros.

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the acute effect of immersion physiotherapy in a hot tub on pain, respiratory distress, and vital signs in preterm infants with mild respiratory distress syndrome. Methods: Quasi-experiment with non-probability convenience sampling carried out at the Neonatal intermediate care unit (NICU), applying a single aquatic physiotherapy intervention in a bathtub to collect data related to pain, which was assessed using the Neonatal Infant Pain Scale (NIPS), and to respiratory distress, which was assessed using the Silverman-Andersen Score (SAS), as well as vital signs (HR, RF, and POS) before and after the intervention. Results: Fourteen preterm infants were evaluated, predominantly male (n=11), with a median gestational age of 32.5 weeks, a median weight of 1976.0 grams, and a 1st minute Apgar score of 6.5, and a 5th-minute score of 9.0. After the immersion physiotherapy intervention, there were significant results for the reduction of respiratory distress, (p=0,005), none of the subjects showed signs of pain before or after immersion physiotherapy and in vital signs no significant results were found, but positive effects were observed when comparing pre and post intervention. Conclusion: Premature infants with respiratory distress benefit from physical therapy of immersion in a hot tub in which, through the physical properties of water, there is a reduction in respiratory effort and positive effects of vital signs, being a pleasant and safe therapy for the studied population.