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Kangaroo Care Follow-Up
A Randomized Controlled Trial of Kangaroo Mother Care: Results of Follow-Up at One Year of Corrected Age. Charpak N, Ruiz-Pelaez JG, Figueroa Z, et al. Pediatrics 2001 (Nov); 108:1072-9.
Seven hundred forty-six newborns born at < 2000 grams were randomized when eligible for minimal care to receive either Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) (n=382) or "traditional care" (TC) (n=364). Outcome measures were followed at term and at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months of corrected age.
Results. The risk of death was lower for infants who received KMC (3.1% vs. 5.5% for the TC group) (relative risk 0.57, 95% CI = 0.17-1.18). VLBW infants in the KMC group spent significantly less time in the hospital than those who were given standard care. The numbers of infections were similar in the two groups, but the severity of infections was less among infants who received KMC. More of the infants who received KMC were breast fed until 3 months of corrected age. The developmental indices of the two groups were similar.
Comment. Kangaroo care as practiced in this study (done in Bogota, Colombia) appears to have positive effects on survival, length of hospitalization, and success of breast-feeding. It is important to understand that this was not the type of occasional kangaroo care that is practiced in many of our NICUs in the United States. Infants receiving KMC in this study "were kept in an upright position, with skin-to-skin contact, firmly attached to the mother’s chest for 24 hours / day. Their temperature was maintained in the normal range by the mother’s body heat. The babies were breast fed regularly, and premature formula supplements were used to guarantee adequate weight gain if necessary … They remained in the kangaroo position until they no longer accepted it." I was amazed that none of the 382 mothers assigned to the KMC group refused to participate in the study and none were excluded for non-compliance with the KMC program. I wonder how many of the mothers of the preterm babies in our NICUs would be willing or able to make the commitment to care necessary to be attached to their infants 24 hrs/day.
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