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Tachygastria in Preterm Infants: A Longitudinal Cohort Study

Eric Brum Ortigoza1, Jackson Cagle2, Larry Steven Brown3

  • 1From the Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX.

Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition
|October 28, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Preterm infants spend 40% of their time in tachygastria, a gastric dysrhythmia. This percentage remains stable postnatally and is reproducible, with a specific range (35%-45%) associated with faster feeding progression.

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.
Abstract

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