Abstract
Pre-term infants frequently experience difficulties in attaining independent oral feeding, thus delaying the achievement of an adequate nutritional status and hospital discharge. The aim of this retrospective, single-centre, observational study was to investigate the effect of co-morbidities on the timing of the achievement of full oral feeding in pre-term infants. The neonatal and feeding data of 84 infants born at a gestational age of <32 weeks were collected, and the effect of co-morbidities on the achievement of feeding independence was evaluated using multiple linear regression analysis. The mean postmenstrual age at the time of the achievement of full oral feeding was 36.7 ± 3.68 weeks (range 33–53) weeks. The multiple linear regression analysis showed that a low birth weight, the occurrence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia, and the need for gastrointestinal surgical procedures were independently associated with a higher postmenstrual age at achievement of full oral feedings.
Highlights
Infant sucking skills differ between bottle- and breastfeeding[10], and pre-term infants have been reported to show a weaker and less coordinated suck[11]
Jadcherla et al.[5] reported that infants born with a gestational age of < 28 weeks showed a significant delay in attaining the transition to oral feeding, but it has been found that the occurrence of morbidities negatively correlates with postmenstrual age at the time of achieving oral feeding skills[5,12,13,14]
The findings of this study indicate that birth weight was independently associated with PMA at the time of the achievement of full oral feeding: the lower the birth weight was, the older the PMA was
Summary
Infant sucking skills differ between bottle- and breastfeeding[10], and pre-term infants have been reported to show a weaker and less coordinated suck[11]. Few studies have investigated the timing and effect of co-morbidities on the achievement of independent oral skills. Jadcherla et al.[5] reported that infants born with a gestational age of < 28 weeks showed a significant delay in attaining the transition to oral feeding, but it has been found that the occurrence of morbidities negatively correlates with postmenstrual age at the time of achieving oral feeding skills[5,12,13,14]. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of co-morbidities on the timing of the achievement of full oral feeding in a cohort of pre-term infants and to evaluate their mode of feeding and feeding status at the time of hospital discharge
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
