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Infant feeding and cardiorespiratory maturation
H Daniels1, H Devlieger, T Minami
1Department of Paediatrics, Universitair Ziekenhuis Gasthuisberg, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium.
Neuropediatrics
|February 1, 1990
Insights
Preterm infants
Area of Science:
- Neonatal physiology
- Pediatric respiratory medicine
Background:
- Coordinated sucking and breathing is crucial for infant feeding.
- Cardiorespiratory control can be immature in preterm infants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between sucking-breathing coordination and cardiorespiratory control in preterm infants.
- To determine if impaired coordination indicates underlying cardiorespiratory immaturity.
Main Methods:
- Studied 134 preterm infants.
- Assessed the ability to coordinate sucking and breathing.
- Evaluated cardiorespiratory control.
Main Results:
- 79% of infants with poor sucking-breathing coordination had immature cardiorespiratory control.
- Only 12% of infants with simultaneous sucking and breathing showed poor cardiorespiratory control.
Conclusions:
- Poor coordination of sucking and breathing in preterm infants is strongly associated with immature cardiorespiratory control.
- Cardiorespiratory assessment is recommended for preterm infants exhibiting feeding coordination difficulties.
Abstract:
134 preterm infants were investigated in their ability to coordinate sucking and breathing. Of those infants who did not coordinate, 79% showed immature cardiorespiratory control whereas of those who suck and breathe simultaneously only 12% had poor cardiorespiratory control. This finding suggests that in infants with poor coordination of sucking and breathing an investigation of cardiorespiratory control might be indicated.