Carlo Bellieni, et. al. from the University of Siena, Italy published a study in the latest Archives of Disease in Childhood that apparently shows changes in heart rate variability (HRV) in a small group of newborns in a neonatal ICU. The authors believe that electromagnetic fields in incubators, as documented in changes in HRV throughout three 5-minute periods (with incubator motor on, off, and on again), have some kind of effect on the neonatal autonomous nervous system.
To learn more about the study, read this editorial in Nature…
Abstract: Electromagnetic fields produced by incubators influence heart rate variability in newborns Arch. Dis. Child. Fetal Neonatal Ed..2008; 0: adc.2007.132738v2
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