Intro: Routine NICU care for premature neonates includes multiple intrusive, stressful procedures, including ophthalmologic examination for ROP. Methods: Seeking to confirm salivary cortisol response as an immediate physiologic marker of stress, and minimize discomfort, premature infants were enrolled into this randomized, blinded study to receive true(current on), or sham (current off) transcutaneously applied electrical stimulation of acupuncture meridians during ophthalmologic examination. An ITO-F3 electroacupuncture unit was used, with lead wires to four electromagnetic electrodes (3000 gauss/electrode) applied to paired points on the hands and feet. Treatment infants received 1.3 HZ constant current at the lowest possible intensity. Pre and post examination salivary cortisol levels were determined by radioimmunoassay. Results: No adverse effects were observed. Cortisol concentration increased in control (P=0.0272) and treatment infants (P= 0.0682). The difference in cortisol between control and treatment infants was not impressive (P=0.5792), despite showing a blunted stress response. Conclusion: Salivary cortisol, as a stress response, is consistently increased in premature infants during ophthalmologic examination. A larger study is needed to determine if electrical stimulation can significantly blunt this response. Table

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