Tachygastria in Preterm Infants: A Longitudinal Cohort Study

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Neonatology
• Physiology

Background:

• Tachygastria, a gastric dysrhythmia (>4 to ≤9 cycles per minute), is linked to hypomotility and GI disorders.
• Preterm infants exhibit more tachygastria than adults, but normative values are undefined.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the percentage of time preterm infants spend in tachygastria.
• To establish normative tachygastria values for preterm infants.

Main Methods:

• A longitudinal, prospective cohort study involving 51 preterm infants (<34 weeks gestation) and 5 term infants.
• Weekly electrogastrography (EGG) recordings were used to calculate percentage recording time in tachygastria (% tachygastria).
• Mixed effects models analyzed weekly variance and gestational age effects; reproducibility was assessed via pre- and post-prandial measurements.

Main Results:

• 376 EGG sessions revealed a mean % tachygastria of 40% (SD ±5%) in preterm infants.
• No significant change in % tachygastria was observed across 9 postnatal weeks or by gestational age.
• % tachygastria within 1 SD from the mean (35%-45%) correlated with higher gestational age and quicker achievement of full feeds.

Conclusions:

• Electrogastrography (EGG) is a reproducible method for assessing % tachygastria in preterm infants.
• Further research is needed to understand the clinical significance of tachygastria variations and validate the safety of the 35%-45% range for feeding.