The Science - The Zaky ZAK®

The science that supports The Zaky ZAK®

The Zaky ZAK®  is the kangaroo care device specifically engineered to hold infants (skin to skin contact or clothed) that weigh from 1 to 15 lbs in any hospital unit and at home. 

It was engineered by Yamile Jackson, a Ph.D. in ergonomics and safety engineering and [kangaroo] mother of Zachary (who spent 5 months in two different NICUs surviving, fighting, and thriving against all odds).  The Zaky ZAK® is a safety device engineered with quality, safety, comfort, easy access, and effective transfers in mind. Do not accept imitations.

It is unisex, used in Antepartum, Labor and Delivery, c-sections, NICU, PICU, any unit where babies are present - and homes.

Please email info@thezaky.com if you are planning, working on, or know of any other(s) studies.
____________________________________________
These are the independent studies and publications of the groundbreaking results of the studies about or that have used The Zaky ZAK®.   For studies about kangaroo care or skin to skin contact you may visit www.kangaroo.care

 

The Zaky ZAK publication heart disease

Publication: Neonatal Skin-to-Skin Contact [With The Zaky ZAK]: Implications for Learning and Autonomic Nervous System Function in Infants With Congenital Heart Disease

The publication that reports the results of Skin to Skin Contact/Kangaroo Care with infants with congenital heart disease is published!

Every mom/baby dyad used The Zaky ZAK (aka Kangaroo Zak) for Skin to Skin contact sessions, and is acknowledged/described in the paper on page 3!

 ____________________________________________

Parent-Training with Kangaroo Care Impacts Infant Neurophysiological Development & Mother-Infant Neuroendocrine ActivityParent-Training with Kangaroo Care Impacts Infant Neurophysiological Development & Mother-Infant Neuroendocrine Activity

Jillian S. Hardin, Nancy Aaron Jones,  Krystal D. Mize, Melannie Platt

Infant Behavior and Development, Volume 58, February 2020, 101416; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infbeh.2019.101416

Infants were full-term (> 37 weeks GA). Mothers assigned to the Kangaroo Care Group were given a KC wrap (Nurtured by Design's The Zaky ZAK/Kangaroo Zak)

ABSTRACT
A randomized control trial was conducted to investigate the effects of skin-to-skin, chest-to-chest contact (kangaroo care, KC) in mother-infant dyads on patterns of infant brain activity and associated mother-infant neurohormone releases. 33 mother-infant dyads participated during pregnancy (29–38 weeks gestation), at neonatal and 3-month periods.

Overall, analyses indicated that:
1) infants in the KC group showed left frontal brain activation patterns (asymmetry and coherence) associated with KC training;
2) KC produced moderate to large increases in oxytocin levels; and
3) KC yielded moderate decreases in cortisol reactivity.

Findings suggest KC may garner favorable neuro-maturational and neurobiological outcomes for dyads.

 ____________________________________________

 

Publication: Kangaroo Care Implementation [with The Zaky ZAK] - Quality Improvement Project
Publication: Kangaroo Care Implementation [with The Zaky ZAK]  - Quality Improvement Project

The Sobreviver Project (Survive) By Mary Coughlin, RN, MS, NNP, Caring Essentials Collaborative, LLC. Boston.

Newborn and Infant Nursing Reviews Volume 15, Issue 4, December 2015, Pages 169-173

Every mother was provided a The Zaky ZAK (aka Kangaroo Zak) in this Quality Improvement Project and Mary Coughlin, explains why. 

 ____________________________________________

by Elizabeth Jeanson PT DPT; Sheri Fischer, MSN RN CBC; Andrea Bunn DNP RN; David Munson, MD; Jessica Schnyders BSN RN; Nate Harris BSN RN

Sanford Improvement Academy selected The Zaky ZAK as part of their Kangaroo Care implementation. The goal was to improve confidence, duration, and frequency by 20%.

Here are the results:

• Parental confidence increased by 62% on the PPCI
• Duration of STS holding increased by 62%
• Frequency of STS holding increased by 26%

___________________________________________

Quality Improvement Project: Prevent Unplanned Extubations during Kangaroo Care. 
Unplanned extubations during kangaroo care is now a preventable injury during kangaroo care with The Zaky ZAK (aka Kangaroo Zak) at Children's Hospital of Atlanta (CHOA)
 ___________________________________________

"Release of Oxytocin and Cortisol Is Associated With Neurobehavioral Patterns in Premature Infants"

by Dorothy Vittner, Amy D’Agata, Byeong Yeob Choi, and Jacqueline McGrath 

Published:March 22, 2023PMID: 36965512  
DOI: 10.1016/j.jogn.2023.03.001

(The Zaky ZAK® was used to hold infants in skin-to-skin/kangaroo care during this study)

 

 

More evidence: 

Click here to see the science behind The Zaky HUG® 

White Paper – Trauma Informed Care (TIC) with The Zaky in NICUs by Mary Coughlin.

Publications co-authored by our CEO, Yamile Jackson, Ph.D, PE, PMP