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Relationship between oxygen saturation, gestational age, and level of oral feeding skills in preterm infants
Raquel Coube de Carvalho Yamamoto1, Leila Sauer Prade1, Geovana de Paula Bolzan1
1Universidade Federal de Santa Maria - UFSM - Santa Maria (RS), Brasil.
Insights
Peripheral oxygen saturation in preterm infants correlates with both gestational age and oral feeding skills. These findings are crucial for optimizing feeding strategies in premature babies.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care
- Pediatric physiology
Background:
- Preterm infants often face challenges with oral feeding.
- Monitoring physiological parameters like oxygen saturation is vital during feeding transitions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between peripheral oxygen saturation, gestational age, and oral feeding skills in preterm infants.
- To establish correlations that can inform clinical practice for introducing oral feeding.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 169 clinically stable preterm infants.
- Peripheral oxygen saturation measured pre- and post-oral feeding.
- Infants categorized by gestational age (26-29, 30-33, 34-36 weeks) and oral feeding skill levels.
Main Results:
- No initial differences in oxygen saturation between gestational age strata or feeding skill levels.
- Significant differences in oxygen saturation observed post-feeding in infants aged 30-36 weeks and those with level I feeding skills.
- Strong correlations found between gestational age and feeding skills, and between these factors and pre-feeding oxygen saturation in specific infant groups.
Conclusions:
- Peripheral oxygen saturation is correlated with both gestational age and the level of oral feeding skills in preterm infants.
- These correlations suggest that physiological maturity and feeding ability are interconnected.
- Findings support individualized approaches to oral feeding introduction in preterm neonates.
Purpose:
To correlate the peripheral oxygen saturation with gestational age and the level of oral feeding skills in the introduction of oral feeding in preterm infants.
Methods:
This is a cross-sectional, quantitative study whose sample was composed of 169 clinically stable preterm infants. Peripheral oxygen saturation was assessed before and after introduction of oral feeding. The preterm infants were stratified into three groups based on their gestational age at birth: 26-29, 30-33, and 34-36 weeks. The preterm infants were classified into four levels according to their oral feeding skill and resistance.
Results:
No differences in oxygen saturation were observed between the strata of gestational age and between the levels of oral feeding skill. Differences were observed in the groups of preterm infants aged 30-33 weeks (p=0.04) and 34-36 weeks (p=0.02) and on the level I of oral feeding skills (p=0.04) when oxygen saturation was compared at pre- and post-first oral feeding. Significant correlations (p<0.001) were found between gestational age and the levels of oral feeding skills (r=0.38); in Group A, between gestational age and oxygen saturation before the first oral feeding (r=0.83); in Group B, between the level of oral feeding skill and oxygen saturation before the first oral feeding (r=0.26) and between level of oral feeding skill and gestational age (r=0.26).
Conclusion:
Correlation was found for peripheral oxygen saturation when compared with gestational age and with the level of oral feeding skills.
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