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Body positioning for spontaneously breathing preterm infants with apnoea
Sandie L Bredemeyer1, Jann P Foster
1Perinatal Nursing, Centre for Nursing & Midwifery Research, RPA Women and Babies, School of Nursing, University of Sydney,Sydney, Australia. sandie@email.cs.nsw.gov.au
The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
|June 15, 2012
Summary
Body positioning did not reduce apnea, bradycardia, or oxygen desaturation in preterm infants. More research is needed to confirm the effects of infant positioning on cardiorespiratory function.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal Medicine
- Pediatric Respiratory Medicine
- Clinical Trials
Background:
- Body positioning is a proposed non-invasive method to manage significant apnea in infants.
- Its effectiveness compared to invasive measures requires robust evidence.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of body positioning on cardiorespiratory function in preterm infants experiencing clinically significant apnea.
- To synthesize evidence from randomized controlled trials on infant positioning and cardiorespiratory outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized and quasi-randomized controlled trials.
- Searched multiple databases including CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL up to March 2011.
- Included cross-over studies assessing various body positions.
Main Results:
- Five studies involving 114 infants were included.
- No significant reduction in apnea, bradycardia, or oxygen desaturation was observed across different body positions (supine, prone, lateral, head-elevated).
- Meta-analyses did not demonstrate benefits of specific infant positioning strategies.
Conclusions:
- Current evidence is insufficient to support the use of body positioning for managing apnea, bradycardia, or oxygen desaturation in preterm infants.
- Large-scale randomized controlled trials are necessary to definitively assess the role of body positioning in infant cardiorespiratory function.
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