DeGrazia M, Giambanco D, Hamn G, Ditzel A, Tucker L, Gauvreau K. Prevention of deformational plagiocephaly in hospitalized infants using a new orthotic device. Journal of obstetric, gynecologic, and neonatal nursing : JOGNN / NAACOG. 2015;44(1):28-41. Researchers in this study sought to determine whether the inclusion of an orthotic device, the cranial cup, was feasible, safe, and showed efficacy, in the reduction of deformational plagiocephaly (DP) in infants that had extended hospitalizations. This study was a randomized, single blind study, where the orthotist was blinded to which treatment each infant had received as head measurements were taken. Infants were split in to two groups: a group that only used the moldable positioner and a group that rotated the use of the moldable positioner with the cranial cup. The study included 62 infants that were hospitalized for fourteen or more days, with 35 infants being in the moldable positioner group and 27 infants placed in the rotation group. Information about how long the cranial cup was used per day, number of cardiorespiratory events, and cranial measurements were recorded and compared to determine if the three goals had been …show more content…
Due to increased discussion of the outcomes by doctors and nurses not included in the study, the study was shut down and it was suggested that the experimental treatment (alternating between cranial cup and moldable positioner) be offered to all remaining participants. Results before the study was shut down were still included in the paper. For the feasibility portion of the research, the hours per day the cranial cup was used was measured at a mean of 10.7 hours, a number lower than the 12 hours expected, but still adequate to see changes in the infants. The safety worries associated with the use of the cranial cup were shown to be wrong as there was no significant difference in the events seen while using the cranial cup vs. using the moldable positioner. As for the effectiveness of treatment, 46% of infants that used only the moldable positioner were found to have abnormal measurements upon discharge, while only 19% of the infants in the experimental group had abnormal measurements when discharged from their stay at the hospital. The results of all 3 of the questions about treatment showed that the use of both a cranial cup and moldable positioner reduced the risk of DP in infants that were hospitalized for longer than 14 days, though more research continues to be needed in this area.