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Developmental patterns of rhythmic suck and swallow in preterm infants
I H Gewolb1, F L Vice, E L Schwietzer-Kenney
1Department of Pediatrics, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore 21201, USA. igewolb@peds.umaryland.edu
Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology
|February 24, 2001
Summary
As preterm infants mature, their sucking patterns become faster and more organized. This developmental progression, linked to postmenstrual age, suggests innate feeding behaviors and may help predict feeding issues.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal development
- Neurodevelopmental pediatrics
- Infant feeding behavior
Background:
- Preterm infants often exhibit feeding difficulties.
- Understanding the maturation of infant sucking and swallowing is crucial for early intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the development of sucking and swallowing rhythms in healthy preterm infants.
- To correlate these feeding patterns with postmenstrual age (PMA) and postnatal age (PNA).
Main Methods:
- Simultaneous digital recordings of pharyngeal pressure, nipple pressure, nasal thermistor, and thoracic strain gauge.
- Weekly assessments of 20 healthy preterm infants from bottle feeding initiation to discharge.
Main Results:
- Sucking 'runs' and their length significantly correlated with increasing PMA.
- Sucking rhythm stability and suck rate also increased with PMA, not PNA.
- Swallowing organization into runs correlated with PMA, while swallow rhythm stability remained constant.
Conclusions:
- Increasing PMA, not PNA, drives the maturation of sucking and swallowing patterns in preterm infants.
- These patterns appear innate, and their quantitative assessment may predict feeding dysfunction or neurological impairment.
- Differentiating normal immaturity from abnormal feeding patterns is vital for appropriate intervention.