Oral Feeding Outcome in Infants with a Tracheostomy.

Area of Science:

• Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) care
• Pediatric critical care
• Infant nutrition and feeding

Background:

• Lack of evidence-based guidelines for feeding infants with tracheostomies in the NICU.
• Need for preliminary data on feeding outcomes for this vulnerable population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide preliminary insight into feeding outcomes for infants with tracheostomies in a NICU setting.
• To identify factors potentially predictive of feeding status at discharge.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective, descriptive study of 42 infants with tracheostomies in a NICU.
• Data collection included demographics, feeding, speech, respiratory, and discharge variables.
• Infants categorized by feeding method at discharge: full oral, combined oral/gavage, or full gavage.

Main Results:

• At discharge, 43% received full oral feeds, 38% combined oral/gavage, and 19% full gavage.
• All infant groups demonstrated weight gain during hospitalization.
• Infant characteristics (APGAR, gestational age) were similar across feeding groups.

Conclusions:

• Results offer preliminary insights into feeding outcomes for NICU infants with tracheostomies.
• Findings may inform future research to establish optimal feeding protocols.
• Further research is needed to determine the most efficacious feeding procedures for this population.