Photo: Maylín Betancourt Verdecia/Radio Angulo

Lenin Hospital Uses Instrumental Music to Stimulate the Auditory Nerve in Newborns

The “Skin-to-Skin” ward, part of the Neonatology Department at the Vladimir Ilyich Lenin General University Hospital, has implemented a simple therapy: playing instrumental music. Specifically piano and violin, which has been shown to help stimulate the auditory nerve in premature infants.

As explained by Solangel Toirac Ramayo, a specialist in speech-language pathology and audiology who oversees neonatal auditory and visual screening at the maternity ward. “In collaboration with a physiatrist at the hospital, I have found that instrumental music—piano or violin. It stimulates the auditory nerve and the brain.” “That is why both of us have implemented this to help hospitalized infants stimulate that nerve. A challenging situation for them, given that they are in an enclosed ward.”

This simple intervention involves playing soft music. Once the infant falls asleep outside their crib, the volume should be lowered further, and 20 minutes into their sleep, the music should be turned off completely. This promotes more restorative sleep while providing stimulation to the auditory nerve. It is a discovered therapy, and its implementation has yielded wonderful results, she concluded.

Lenin Hospital Uses Instrumental Music to Stimulate the Auditory Nerve in Newborns 0
Solangel Toirac Ramayo, a specialist in speech-language pathology and audiology, conducts an auditory screening on a newborn at the Lenin Hospital. Photo: Author

This therapy contributes to the comprehensive care of newborns and strengthens perinatal support. Early detection of hearing impairment is crucial for the timely treatment of such conditions. Helping to prevent potential delays in cognitive development during childhood.

Lenin Hospital Uses Instrumental Music to Stimulate the Auditory Nerve in Newborns 1
Photo: Maylín Betancourt Verdecia/Radio Angulo

Music therapy, combined with skin-to-skin contact, offers clear benefits for the development of premature and low-birth-weight infants. These special measures—along with the specialized care provided to newborns admitted to the Lenin Hospital. Also to help shorten hospital stays compared to previous years, allowing infants to be discharged safely to return home to their families.

Maylín Betancourt Verdecia
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