Effect of comprehensive feeding intervention on feeding intolerance of premature infants

Abstract

Objective To investigate the effect of comprehensive feeding intervention on feeding quality and weight gain of premature infants. Methods Eighty-one premature infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of our hospital from September 2016 to December 2018 were selected and randomly divided into the intervention group (n=41) and the control group (n=40). Infants in the control group received routine nursing and infants in the intervention group were given comprehensive feeding intervention on the basis of routine nursing includingimproved Y type gastric tube, gravity tube feeding in prone position, oral movement intervention, colostrum oral immunotherapy and kangaroo nursing. The changes of feeding process were compared between the two groups and the occurrence of feeding intolerance in the two groups was observed. Results The duration of tube feeding and hospital stay were lower in the intervention group than in the control group (P 0.05), but the average daily weight growth rate [g/(kg·d) ] after 1 week and the milk volume [ml/(kg·d)] at 1 week were higher in the intervention group than in the control group(P<0.05). The incidence of gastric retention, abdominal distension and vomiting in the intervention group was lower than that in the control group, but only the difference in the incidence of gastric retention (24.4% vs 47.5%) was statistically significant (P<0.05). The incidence of feeding intolerance was significantly lower in the intervention group than in the control group (24.39% vs 47.50%, P<0.05). Conclusion Comprehensive nursing intervention can shorten the tube feeding time of premature infants, promote the weight growth of premature infants, improve the feeding quality, reduce the incidence of feeding intolerance, and reduce the hospital stay of premature infants, so as to reduce the hospitalization cost, improve the quality of life of premature infants, and increase the satisfaction of parents. Key words: Comprehensive nursing intervention; Premature infant; Feeding intolerance