Amplitude-integrated Electroencephalography: A New Approach to Enhancing Neurologic Nursing Care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Critically ill infants are at higher risk for developing adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes because of their physiologic and neurologic vulnerabilities, complex medical treatment, and stressful neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) environment. Continuous monitoring of brain function serves to evaluate medical and nursing interventions, detect early signs of alteration in brain function, and thus may improve long-term neurologic outcomes. Amplitude-integrated electroencephalography is a limited-channel electroencephalography that provides a noninvasive method for continuous observation of cerebral background activity at the bedside. Amplitude-integrated electroencephalography is increasingly being used in the NICU. Varied clinical and research applications for the neonatal population make up a growing body of knowledge. Amplitude-integrated electroencephalography has the potential to enhance the ability of nurses to provide targeted neurodevelopmental care in the NICU.