A comparison of the nutritive sucking performance of full term and preterm neonates at hospital discharge: A prospective study

Abstract

BackgroundStudies show that 40% to 70% of premature infants exhibit both immature and atypical feeding ability. To establish thresholds of performance and develop efficacious treatments for initiating and advancing oral feedings, we must first identify the nutritive sucking performance measures impacted by preterm birth. AimsTo compare objective measures of neonatal nutritive sucking between full term and preterm infants at hospital discharge. Study design and methodsThis was a prospective observational study including full term (FT; N = 32) and preterm (PT; N = 44) infants. Nutritive sucking performance at discharge was assessed. The outcome measures of interest were means and coefficients of variability of nutritive sucking peak amplitude, frequency, duration, and smoothness, and feeding-related length of stay. ResultsThere was a significant difference in sucking performance between groups; FT infants demonstrated significantly lower mean suck frequency, with longer suck duration and greater suck smoothness as compared to PT. PT infants had significantly less variability in suck amplitude and frequency as compared to FT, while FT infants had significantly less variability in suck smoothness as compared to PT. Post hoc regression analyses found suck frequency alone accounted for 28% of the variance in feeding length of stay for PT; suck smoothness alone accounted for 34% of the variance in feeding length of stay for FT. ConclusionsSuck frequency may be an important intervention target for PT infants having difficulty transitioning to oral feeding. Suck smoothness may be a sensitive marker for identifying infants at high risk for feeding challenges.