ArticlePediatric research2026
The effect of nasal olfactory stimulation on apnea of prematurity: a randomized cross-over trial.
Article in Pediatric research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundOlfactory stimulation may enhance respiratory drive in preterm infants without respiratory support. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of olfactory stimulation on apnea of prematurity (AOP) in preterm infants receiving nasal continuous positive pressure (nCPAP).
methodsThis randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind cross-over study enrolled preterm infants born between 23 0/7 and 31 6/7 weeks of gestation receiving nCPAP and treatment with caffeine citrate. Vanilla or strawberry odor, or an odorless placebo solution, was applied to the nCPAP masks with an odor pen. The primary outcome was the number of desaturation and bradycardia episodes. Secondary outcomes included physiological parameters and feeding tolerance.
resultsEighty preterm infants completed the study. The median (interquartile range) number of events during the 12-hour study period was 10 (3-27) in the intervention group and 14 (3-29) in the control group (p = 0.82). No significant differences were observed in any secondary outcome measures with either vanilla or strawberry odor.
conclusionThis study did not demonstrate an effect of olfactory stimulation on the number of desaturation and bradycardia episodes in very preterm infants receiving nCPAP. Future research may focus on optimizing methods for delivering olfactory stimuli to infants on non-invasive respiratory support. IMPACT: Clinical trials have demonstrated that olfactory stimulation, using odors such as vanilla, may reduce the frequency of apnea and desaturation episodes in spontaneously breathing preterm infants. This study evaluates the effect of olfactory stimulation with vanilla and strawberry odor on the respiratory drive of preterm infants receiving nasal continuous positive pressure support - the population most severely affected by the apnea of prematurity. In this population, olfactory stimulation did not significantly reduce the number of desaturations and bradycardia. Future research may focus on optimizing delivery methods to ensure that olfactory stimuli are effectively perceived by infants on non-invasive respiratory support.
Identifiers
42443459What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.