National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research, Portland VA Medical Center, Portland, Oregon 97239, USA.
Am J Crit Care. 2010 Nov;19(6):e88-98; quiz e99. doi: 10.4037/ajcc2010180.
Sound levels in intensive care units can be high. Unfortunately, high levels of sound tend to result in poor sleep quality, which leads to slower healing, poorer immune response, and decreased cognitive function.
To measure sound levels to which patients in intensive care units are typically exposed.
Peak sound pressure levels of alarms on medical devices set at different output levels were measured. Additionally, ambient sound pressure levels for durations of 10 to 24 hours were measured on 12 occasions in patients' rooms in the intensive care unit.
Peak levels of equipment alarms measured inside a patient's room were high, and increased as the setting of the alarm level increased. The levels of these alarms when measured in an adjacent room did not increase with alarm output level. Mean sound levels inside the patient's room were generally less than 45 dB(A), but peak levels were often greater than 85 dB(C). Closing the door of the adjacent room did not decrease these peak levels. Peak and mean levels did not differ systematically during 24 hours of measurement.
High-intensity equipment alarms disturb patients' sleep but are critical in a medical emergency. However, nurses should not assume that raising the alarm output level will ensure that the alarm is audible from an adjacent room. Ambient noise measurements indicate high peak levels during both day and night.
重症监护病房（ICU）的噪音水平可能很高。不幸的是，高水平的噪音往往会导致睡眠质量下降，从而导致愈合速度变慢、免疫反应更差、认知功能下降。
测量 ICU 患者通常所处的声级。
测量不同输出水平设定的医疗设备警报的峰值声压级。此外，在 ICU 病房内，对 12 名患者的房间进行了 10 至 24 小时的环境声压级测量。
在患者房间内测量的设备警报的峰值水平较高，并且随着警报级别的增加而增加。在相邻房间测量时，这些警报的水平并未随警报输出水平的增加而增加。患者房间内的平均声级通常低于 45dB(A)，但峰值通常大于 85dB(C)。关闭相邻房间的门并不能降低这些峰值水平。在 24 小时的测量过程中，峰值和平均水平没有系统地差异。
高强度的设备警报会干扰患者的睡眠，但在医疗紧急情况下至关重要。然而，护士不应认为提高警报输出水平将确保警报在相邻房间内可听到。环境噪声测量表明，白天和夜间的峰值水平都很高。
