To ascertain the impact of skin-to-skin care between parents and infants on cardiac function and cerebral blood flow in preterm infants.

We undertook a prospective study of 40 self-ventilating preterm infants at a quaternary center and assessed cardiac performance and cerebral blood flow. Assessments were carried out two hours before skin-to-skin care and then 60 minutes after skin-to-skin care (with the infant still on parent and turned supine).

Infants were 30.5 ± 0.6 weeks’ gestational age and 1378 ± 133 g birthweight. Axillary temperature noted a nonsignificant increase during skin-to-skin care from 36.7 ± 0.07°C to 36.9 ± 0.07°C (P = .07). Cardiac contractility (right ventricular fractional area change [26.5% ± 0.3% vs 27.8% ± 0.4; P < .001] and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion [0.73 ± 0.03 cm vs 0.77 ± 0.03 cm; P = .02]) increased significantly, coincident with decreased measures of pulmonary vascular resistance. An increase in systemic cardiac output was associated with increased cerebral blood flow and reduced middle cerebral artery resistive index (0.81 ± 0.02 vs 0.74 ± 0.02; P = .0001).

We documented a significant circulatory beneficial adaptation to a common neonatal practice. These findings align with previously documented physiologic benefits in cardiorespiratory stability and cardiac rhythm in preterm infants, and may be mediated through modulation of the autonomic nervous system.