Feeding Difficulties In Infants Research Articles

A cross-sectional study of breastfed infants referred for tongue tie assessment and frenotomy in one Canadian health region.

Tongue tie (TT) is a condition that can cause infant feeding difficulties due to restricted tongue movement. When TT presents as a significant barrier to breastfeeding, a frenotomy may be recommended. Universally accepted diagnostic criteria for TT are lacking and wide prevalence estimates are reported. New referral processes and a Frenotomy Assessment Tool were implemented in one Canadian health region to connect breastfeeding dyads with a provider for TT evaluation and frenotomy. To determine the proportion of babies with TT as well as the frequency of frenotomy. This cross-sectional study included infants who initiated breastfeeding at birth and were referred for TT evaluation over a 14-month period. Data were collected retrospectively by chart review and analyzed using SPSS. Factors associated with frenotomy were examined using logistic regression. Two hundred and forty-one babies were referred. Ninety-two percent (n = 222) were diagnosed with TT and 66.0% (n = 159) underwent frenotomy. In the multivariate model, nipple pain/trauma, inability to latch, inability to elevate tongue, and dimpling of tongue on extension were associated with frenotomy (P < 0.05). Most referrals in our region resulted in a diagnosis of TT; however, the number of referrals was lower than expected, and of these two-thirds underwent frenotomy. TT is a relatively common finding among breastfed infants. Future research should examine whether a simplified assessment tool containing the four items associated with frenotomy in our multivariate model can identify breastfed infants with TT who require frenotomy.

Feeding difficulties in infancy as an early symptom of different forms of diabetes insipidus – a series of cases

Feeding difficulties in infancy as an early symptom of different forms of diabetes insipidus – a series of cases

Application of Statistical Analysis and Machine Learning to Identify Infants' Abnormal Suckling Behavior.

Identify infants with abnormal suckling behavior from simple non-nutritive suckling devices. While it is well known breastfeeding is beneficial to the health of both mothers and infants, breastfeeding ceases in 75 percent of mother-child dyads by 6 months. The current standard of care lacks objective measurements to screen infant suckling abnormalities within the first few days of life, a critical time to establish milk supply and successful breastfeeding practices. A non-nutritive suckling vacuum measurement system, previously developed by the authors, is used to gather data from 91 healthy full-term infants under thirty days old. Non-nutritive suckling was recorded for a duration of sixty seconds. We establish normative data for the mean suck vacuum, maximum suck vacuum, suckling frequency, burst duration, sucks per burst, and vacuum signal shape. We then apply computational methods (Mahalanobis distance, KNN) to detect anomalies in the data to identify infants with abnormal suckling. We finally provide case studies of healthy newborn infants and infants diagnosed with ankyloglossia. In a series of case evaluations, we demonstrate the ability to detect abnormal suckling behavior using statistical analysis and machine learning. We evaluate cases of ankyloglossia to determine how oral dysfunction and surgical interventions affect non-nutritive suckling measurements. Statistical analysis (Mahalanobis Distance) and machine learning [K nearest neighbor (KNN)] can be viable approaches to rapidly interpret infant suckling measurements. Particularly in practices using the digital suck assessment with a gloved finger, it can provide a more objective, early stage screening method to identify abnormal infant suckling vacuum. This approach for identifying those at risk for breastfeeding complications is crucial to complement complex emerging clinical evaluation technology. By analyzing non-nutritive suckling using computational methods, we demonstrate the ability to detect abnormal and normal behavior in infant suckling that can inform breastfeeding intervention pathways in clinic.Clinical and Translational Impact Statement: The work serves to shed light on the lack of consensus for determining appropriate intervention pathways for infant oral dysfunction. We demonstrate using statistical analysis and machine learning that normal and abnormal infant suckling can be identified and used in determining if surgical intervention is a necessary solution to resolve infant feeding difficulties.

Prevalence and Risk Factors for Tube-Feeding at Discharge in Infants following Early Congenital Heart Disease Surgery: A Single-Center Cohort Study.

Oral feeding difficulty is common in infants after congenital heart disease (CHD) surgical repair and is associated with prolonged hospital stay and increased risk for tube-feeding at discharge (TF). The current understanding of the enteropathogenesis of oral feeding difficulty in infants requiring CHD surgery is limited. To determine the prevalence and risk factors for TF following CHD surgery in early infancy. This was a 6-year single-center retrospective cohort study (2016-2021) of infants under 6 months who had CHD surgery. Infants required TF were compared with infants who reached independent oral feeding (IOF). Of the final sample of 128 infants, 24 (18.8%) infants required TF at discharge. The risk factors for TF in univariate analysis include low birth weight, low 5-minute Apgar score, admitted at birth, risk adjustment in congenital heart surgery categories IV to VI, presence of genetic diagnosis, use of Prostin, higher pre- and postsurgery respiratory support, lower weight at surgery, lower presurgery oral feeding, higher presurgery milk calory, delayed postsurgery enteral and oral feeding, higher pre- and postsurgery gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), need for swallow study, abnormal brain magnetic resonance imaging (p < 0.05). In the multivariate analysis, only admitted at birth, higher presurgery milk calories, and GERD were significant risk factors for TF. TF had significantly longer hospital stay (72 vs. 17 days) and lower weight gain at discharge (z-score: -3.59 vs. -1.94) compared with IOF (p < 0.05). The prevalence of TF at discharge in our study is comparable to previous studies. Infants with CHD admitted at birth, received higher presurgery milk calories, and clinical GERD are significant risk factors for TF. Mitigating the effects of identified risk factors for TF will have significant impact on the quality of life for these infants and their families and may reduce health care cost. · Oral feeding difficulty in infants after congenital heart disease surgical repair is common.. · Such infants require prolonged hospital stay and higher risk for tube-feeding at discharge.. · Identifying modifiable risk factors associated with tube-feeding can enhance clinical outcomes..

Risk of dysphagia in a population of infants born pre-term: characteristic risk factors in a tertiary NICU

ObjectiveTo examine the prevalence and characteristics of dysphagia and suck-swallow-breath incoordination as phenotypes of oral feeding difficulties. MethodA cross-sectional study with secondary data collected consecutively over 2 years from October 2020 to October 2022 to measure the prevalence of swallowing and oral feeding difficulty in preterm infants using Flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing examination at the tertiary Integrated Dysphagia Clinic. ResultsThe prevalence of swallowing disorders was 25 % and the prevalence of suck-swallow-breath incoordination was 62.5 %. The significant risk factor that may show a possible correlation with oral feeding difficulty was mature post-menstrual age (p = 0.006) and longer length of stay (p = 0.004). The dominant percentage of upper airway abnormality and disorder were retropalatal collapse (40 %), laryngomalacia (42.5 %), paradoxical vocal cord movement (12.5 %), and gastroesophageal reflux disease (60 %). The dominant characteristic of oral motor examination and flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing examination was inadequate non-nutritive sucking (45 %), inadequate postural tone (35 %), and inadequate nutritive sucking (65 %). ConclusionDysphagia in preterm infants is mostly observed in those with mature post-menstrual age, longer length of stay, and the presence of gastroesophageal reflux disease with inadequate non-nutritive sucking and nutritive sucking abilities. Suck-swallow-breath incoordination is primarily observed in those with immature post-menstrual age, a higher prevalence of cardiopulmonary comorbidity, and a higher prevalence of upper airway pathologies (laryngomalacia, paradoxical vocal cord movement) with inadequate nutritive sucking ability.

Analysis on the current situation of twin breastfeeding and its influencing factors.

Studies have found that exclusive breastfeeding can not only promote the growth and development of infants, but also increase the emotional communication between mothers and infants, and reduce the incidence of maternal breast diseases. To analysis the current situation and influencing factors of breastfeeding twins. A total of 420 twin mothers delivered in our hospital from January 2019 to December 2022 were selected to investigate the situation of breastfeeding within 6 months after delivery. An electronic questionnaire was conducted, and clinical information were collected. Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis were applied to analyze the factors influencing exclusive breastfeeding. The rate of exclusive breastfeeding was 21.90%; in the exclusive breastfeeding group, the age <35 years old, bachelor degree or above, rural areas, no nipple depression or flat, no breast distension, no postpartum depression, adequate breast milk, participation in health education during pregnancy, husband support for breastfeeding, no infant feeding difficulties, infant diarrhea, lactose intolerance and return to milk were 96.74%, 53.26%, 65.22%, 80.43%, 76.09%, 80.43%, 73.91%, 63.04%, 69.57%, 71.74%, 65.22%, 70.65%, and 66.30%, respectively. It was significantly higher than that in the non-exclusive breastfeeding group (P < .05). The score of Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS) was (8.08 ± 1.03) in the exclusive breastfeeding group, which was significantly lower than that in the non-exclusive breastfeeding group (P < .001), while the score of Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS) was (67.32 ± 9.92), which was significantly higher than that in the non-exclusive breastfeeding one(P < .001). Logistic regression analysis showed that age, education level, nipple depression or flat, breast tenderness, postpartum depression, breast milk volume, health education training during pregnancy, husband support for breastfeeding, PSSS score, infant diarrhea, lactose intolerance, and delectation were the influencing factors of exclusive breastfeeding (P < .001). Our findings suggest that various factors were associated with a low rate of exclusive breastfeeding in twin births, such as age, educational level, and social support. Corresponding measures should be formulated for intervention to promote exclusive breastfeeding.

Assessment and Rehabilitation of Oral Feeding Difficulties in Preterm Infants

Assessment and Rehabilitation of Oral Feeding Difficulties in Preterm Infants

The Effects of Cup Feeding and Finger Feeding Techniques on Weight Gain in Preterm Infants Admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Background: Weight is one of the main indicators of physical growth and brain development in infants, especially preterm infants. Feeding preterm infants is an ongoing challenge for those in charge of feeding infants, especially those with very low birth weights. Feeding difficulties in premature infants lead to long hospital stays and increased costs. Objectives: This study aimed to compare the effects of cup feeding and finger feeding techniques on weight gain in premature infants. Methods: This randomized clinical trial study was conducted on 90 premature infants with an average weight of 1784.3 ± 497 g admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of Ali Bin Abi Talib (AS) Hospital located in Zahedan, the southeast of Iran, in 2021. The infants were randomly divided into 3 groups: Cup feeding, finger feeding, and control groups (each with 30 infants). The intervention was performed for 3 consecutive days without interruption, even on holidays for each infant. The amount and frequency of feeding each infant depended on the birth weight and the diagnosis of a specialist. The infant’s weight was recorded before and after the intervention. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 22 using analysis of variance (ANOVA), paired-samples t-test, and chi-square test. Results: The average weight of infants significantly increased in the cup feeding (P &lt; 0.01) and finger feeding (P &lt; 0.01) groups compared with the control group. The highest weight gain was recorded in the finger feeding group (109.55 g), followed by the cup feeding group (65.8 g) and the control group (31.1 g; P = 0.001). The ANOVA results suggested that the finger feeding technique was most effective in gaining weight and achieving independent oral feeding in premature infants.

Phenotypic variability and gastrointestinal manifestations/interventions for growth in NAA10-related neurodevelopmental syndrome.

Our study of 61 children with NAA10-related neurodevelopmental syndrome, an X-linked disorder due to NAA10 gene variants, demonstrated a high prevalence of growth failure, with weight and height percentiles often in the failure-to-thrive diagnostic range; however, dramatic weight fluctuations and phenotypic variability is evidenced in the growth parameters of this population. Although never previously explored in depth, the gastrointestinal pathology associated with NAA10-related neurodevelopmental syndrome includes feeding difficulties in infancy, dysphagia, GERD/silent reflux, vomiting, constipation, diarrhea, bowel incontinence, and presence of eosinophils on esophageal endoscopy, in order from most to least prevalent. Additionally, the gastrointestinal symptom profile for children with this syndrome has been expanded to include eosinophilic esophagitis, cyclic vomiting syndrome, Mallory Weiss tears, abdominal migraine, esophageal dilation, and subglottic stenosis. Although the exact cause of poor growth in NAA10-related neurodevelopmental syndrome probands is unclear and the degree of contribution to this problem by GI symptomatology remains uncertain, an analysis including nine G-tube or GJ-tube fed probands demonstrates that G/GJ-tubes are overall efficacious with respect to improvements in weight gain and caregiving. The choice to insert a gastrostomy or gastrojejunal tube to aid with weight gain is often a challenging decision to make for parents, who may alternatively choose to rely on oral feeding, caloric supplementation, calorie tracking, and feeding therapy. In this case, if NAA10-related neurodevelopmental syndrome children are not tracking above the failure to thrive (FTT) range past 1year of age despite such efforts, the treating physicians should be consulted regarding possibly undergoing G-tube placement to avoid prolonged growth failure. If G-tubes are not immediately inducing weight gain after insertion, recommendations could include altering formula, increasing caloric input, or exchanging a G-tube for a GJ-tube by means of a minimally invasive procedure.

Validation of the instrument "Infant Malnutrition and Feeding Checklist for Congenital Heart Disease", a tool to identify risk of malnutrition and feeding difficulties in infants with congenital heart disease

currently, various tools have been designed to timely detect the risk of malnutrition in hospitalized children. In those with a diagnosis of congenital heart disease (CHD), there is only one tool developed in Canada: Infant Malnutrition and Feeding Checklist for Congenital Heart Disease (IMFC:CHD), which was designed in English. to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Spanish adaptation of the IMFC:CHD tool in infants with CHD. cross-sectional validation study carried out in two stages. The first, of translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the tool, and the second, of validation of the new translated tool, where evidence of reliability and validity were obtained. in the first stage, the tool was translated and adapted to the Spanish language; for the second stage, 24 infants diagnosed with CHD were included. The concurrent criterion validity between the screening tool and the anthropometric evaluation was evaluated, obtaining a substantial agreement (κ = 0.660, 95 % CI: 0.36-0.95) and for the predictive criterion validity, which was compared with the days of hospital stay, moderate agreement was obtained (κ = 0.489, 95 % CI: 0.1-0.8). The reliability of the tool was evaluated through external consistency, measuring the inter-observer agreement, obtaining a substantial agreement (κ = 0.789, 95 % CI: 0.5-0.9), and the reproducibility of the tool showed an almost perfect agreement (κ = 1, CI 95 %: 0.9-1.0). the IMFC:CHD tool showed adequate validity and reliability, and could be considered as a useful resource for the identification of severe malnutrition.

In-depth characterisation of a cohort of individuals with missense and loss-of-function variants disrupting FOXP2

BackgroundHeterozygous disruptions of FOXP2 were the first identified molecular cause for severe speech disorder: childhood apraxia of speech (CAS), and yet few cases have been reported, limiting knowledge of the...

A Unique Clinical Tool for the Evaluation of Oral Feeding Skills in Infants.

Background. Occupational therapy practice for oral feeding assessment is based on clinical observation of infants' sucking, swallowing, and breathing ability, which is influenced by clinical experience and provides poor evidence on explanatory factors. Purpose. To test the clinical utility and safety of a nipple monitoring device for the quantitative evaluation of oral feeding skills. Method. Sixteen infants, with no severe medical complications, participated in a pre-experimental pilot study. Oral feeding performances (duration, intake volume, and rate of transfer), and occurrence of adverse events (apnea, bradycardia, and oxygen desaturations) were recorded to ensure the tool does not interfere with infant's feeding ability or does not create any adverse effects. Findings. There was no significant difference in duration, intake volume, rate of transfer between the two monitored sessions, and no occurrence in adverse events. Implications. The findings suggest that the nipple monitoring device may be used for quantitative assessment and intervention planning of oral feeding difficulties in infants.

Who Gets to Breastfeed? A Narrative Ecological Analysis of Women's Infant Feeding Experiences in the UK.

The early post-natal period is a critical period in women's infant feeding journeys, often marked by high levels of unintended breastfeeding cessation. Previous research has argued that infant feeding should be perceived within a complex system whereby factors operating at different ecological levels (i.e., individual, social/community networks, cultural/institutional) interact to affect individual behaviors. However, currently, more work needs to be done to implement an ecological approach in breastfeeding programs. We adopted a complex-systems lens approach to explore how multi-level factors—individual, mother-infant dyad, health service, family and social networks, and wider community infrastructure—interacted with women's motivations and experiences of breastfeeding. We undertook a secondary analysis of 24 women's interviews; all the women had a strong antenatal intention to breastfeed and were expecting their first baby. The interviews were collected during the UK-based Assets-based feeding help Before and After birth (ABA) feasibility trial when their infant was aged between 4 and 21 weeks. Categorical content analysis was used to explore the interrelationships between key factors and to identify different infant feeding typologies. Two different typologies emerged: “disappointed” (n = 7) and “by hook or by crook” (n = 17). “Disappointed” women had stopped breastfeeding early; women classified as “by hook or by crook” continued breastfeeding despite facing challenges. Sociodemographic, social, and service level differences between the typologies were noted. “Disappointed” women were more likely to be younger, White-British, to have considered mixed-feeding antenatally and experienced negative breastfeeding support from healthcare professionals and personal networks. Infants of “disappointed” women were more likely to have received unexpected “top-ups” and to be perceived as having infant feeding difficulties. Women classified as “by hook or by crook” were just as likely as “disappointed” women to experience birth-related complications, but demonstrated more proactive help-seeking behaviors, had positive experiences of personal/professional support and accessed wider support. While further research is needed to consolidate and/or refute the typologies, the ecological approach shifts the focus away from mothers' decisions to consider the multi-level factors that need to be in place to enable women to breastfeed successfully. Further work to encourage help-seeking behaviors and toward improving facilities, support, and services is needed.

Preterm Infant with Craniofacial Dysmorphic Features and Posture.

Preterm Infant with Craniofacial Dysmorphic Features and Posture.

Advancing health visiting practice to manage infant feeding difficulties

Providing families with advice and support on infant feeding is a key aspect of the health visiting role. While health visitors hold a wealth of knowledge around this topic, limitations in practice can force them to signpost parents elsewhere. Current health policy in Wales envisions that resources will be used creatively and effectively to provide quality services that are closer to home for service users. A review of the literature demonstrated that both parents and health professionals would like clear, consistent and accessible advice and support regarding managing infant feeding difficulties. It is proposed that an infant feeding support service, led by a specialist health visitor with advanced practice skills such as non-medical prescribing, could help to address this need, and meet local and national policy objectives.

Developing a Quality Improvement Feeding Program for NICU Patients.

Practices in NICUs vary widely, particularly when clinical decisions involve complex tasks and multiple disciplines, which occurs with feeding preterm infants. Neonatal feeding difficulties in preterm infants often lead to prolonged tube feeding and therefore lengthened hospital stays. Education and compliance with evidence-based protocols and guidelines are needed on the initiation of feedings and feeding advancement to transform enteral and oral feeding practices and thus reduce practice variation and improve clinical outcomes.

Mechanisms and management considerations of parent-chosen feeding approaches to infants with swallowing difficulties: an observational study

Videofluoroscopy swallow studies (VFSS) and high-resolution manometry (HRM) methods complement to ascertain mechanisms of infant feeding difficulties. We hypothesized that: (a) an integrated approach (study: parent-preferred feeding therapy based on VFSS and HRM) is superior to the standard-of-care (control: provider-prescribed feeding therapy based on VFSS), and (b) motility characteristics are distinct in infants with penetration or aspiration defined as penetration-aspiration scale (PAS) score ≥ 2. Feeding therapies were nipple flow, fluid thickness, or no modification. Clinical outcomes were oral-feeding success (primary), length of hospital stay and growth velocity. Basal and adaptive HRM motility characteristics were analyzed for study infants. Oral feeding success was 85% [76–94%] in study (N = 60) vs. 63% [50–77%] in control (N = 49), p = 0.008. Hospital-stay and growth velocity did not differ between approaches or PAS ≥ 2 (all P > 0.05). In study infants with PAS ≥ 2, motility metrics differed for increased deglutition apnea during interphase (p = 0.02), symptoms with pharyngeal stimulation (p = 0.02) and decreased distal esophageal contractility (p = 0.004) with barium. In conclusion, an integrated approach with parent-preferred therapy based on mechanistic understanding of VFSS and HRM metrics improves oral feeding outcomes despite the evidence of penetration or aspiration. Implementation of new knowledge of physiology of swallowing and airway protection may be contributory to our findings.

Observation on the curative effect of personalized comprehensive intervention on feeding difficulties of premature infants

Observation on the curative effect of personalized comprehensive intervention on feeding difficulties of premature infants

A Comparison of Weight Gain Following Mandibular Distraction Osteogenesis and Tongue-Lip Adhesion in the Treatment of Robin Sequence

Obstructive respiratory stress and feeding difficulties in infants with Robin sequence (RS) may result in poor weight gain or loss. Following failure of conservative treatment, surgical options include mandibular distraction osteogenesis (MDO) and tongue-lip adhesion (TLA). Whilst both techniques have demonstrated to improve airway patency and feeding behavior, an advantage of either in restoring weight growth remains unknown. This study aimed to improve procedural selection by examining weight gain following MDO and TLA. A retrospective chart review was performed for 17 RS patients that had undergone MDO and 25 that had received TLA. The mean body weight in both groups was below the 50th population percentile at birth and fell further in the period before surgery. A mixed model analysis demonstrated that postoperative weight gain depended on the progression of time and preoperative weight. Conversely, biological sex, congenital comorbidities, method of feeding, the respective cleft team, and the type of surgery did not significantly influence the evolution of postoperative body weight. In conclusion, both MDO and TLA were able to restore weight growth in infants affected by RS, though a clear superiority of either technique could not be established.

AKT question relating to feeding difficulties in infants

AKT question relating to feeding difficulties in infants