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Pacing as a treatment technique for transitional sucking patterns
Leslie Law-Morstatt1, Debra M Judd, Patricia Snyder
1Department of Child and Family Services, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, 3730 Blair Street, Shreveport, LA 71103, USA.
Insights
Paced feeding protocols in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) improve sucking efficiency and reduce bradycardia in preterm infants with respiratory issues. This method shows benefits for respiratory disease management in premature infants.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal Medicine
- Pediatric Respiratory Medicine
- Clinical Nutrition
Background:
- Preterm infants with respiratory diagnoses often face feeding challenges.
- Inefficient feeding patterns can lead to complications like bradycardia.
- Optimizing feeding strategies is crucial for improving outcomes in this vulnerable population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of a paced feeding protocol on preterm infants with respiratory diagnoses.
- To assess changes in sucking efficiency, weight gain, bradycardia incidence, and hospital stay duration.
- To determine the benefits of incorporating paced feeding into neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) practices.
Main Methods:
- A nonrandomized clinical trial involving 36 preterm infants in a NICU.
- Comparison between traditionally bottle-fed infants (n=18) and those receiving paced feedings (n=18).
- Nursing staff received training on the paced feeding protocol before the second cohort was enrolled.
Main Results:
- Paced feeding resulted in statistically significant improvements in sucking efficiency at discharge.
- A significant decrease in the incidence of bradycardia during feeding was observed in the paced group.
- No significant differences were found in discharge weight gain or average weekly weight gain between the groups.
Conclusions:
- Implementing a paced feeding protocol is beneficial for preterm infants with respiratory disease.
- Paced feeding can enhance feeding efficiency and reduce feeding-related complications.
- This feeding strategy shows promise for improving NICU care for respiratory-compromised preterm infants.
Objective:
To ascertain whether the implementation of a paced feeding protocol in a sample of preterm infants with respiratory diagnoses will result in the development of more efficient sucking patterns, increased weight gain, decreased incidence of bradycardia during feeding, and shorter length of hospital stay.
Method:
A total of 36 premature infants were enrolled into a nonrandomized clinical trial conducted in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The first 18 infants were traditionally bottle-fed. Following this cohort's discharge from NICU, nursing staff completed continuing education on implementing a paced feeding protocol and the next 18 infants were delivered paced feedings.
Results:
The two cohorts were equivalent at the initiation of oral feedings on gestational age, birth weight, 1 and 5 minute Apgar scores, weight, and postconceptual age. The paced infants demonstrated statistically and clinically significant decreases in bradycardic incidences during feeding and gains in development of more efficient sucking patterns at discharge. Discharge and average weekly weight gain did not differ between the two groups.
Conclusions:
The incorporation of pacing into NICU care practices appears to be beneficial for preterm infants with respiratory disease.
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