Effects of Sweet Taste Stimulation on Growth and Sucking in Preterm Infants

Abstract

To evaluate the effect of sweet taste stimulation in augmenting the reported growth-enhancing effects of nonnutritive sucking in preterm infants who are gavage-fed. Random assignment of preterm infants to receive stimulation by one of three methods during each feeding until totally orally fed. Hospital intensive-care and infant transitional units. Eligibility criteria included body weight greater than or equal to 1,250 g, gestational age younger than 34 weeks, growth parameters appropriate for gestational age, tolerating at least 100 kcals/kg/day by gavage feeding with evidence of weight gain, and no clinical evidence of health complications. Data are presented for 42 infants who completed 14 days of treatment. Exposure to a sweet pacifier, a latex pacifier, or maternal heartbeat sounds during gavage feedings. Growth, time to total oral feeding, and sucking responses. No significant differences in sucking measures were noted among treatment groups. Differences in progression time to total oral feedings and weight gain favored the sweet-pacifier group but were not statistically significant. Oral stimulation of gavage-fed, preterm infants during a 2-week hospitalization was not sufficient to elicit a significant improvement in growth efficiency, progression to total oral feedings, or sucking maturation. Additional studies may show a beneficial effect of chemosensory stimulation in preterm infants.