Electrogastrography-Derived Mean Power Ratio as an Exploratory Objective Measure of Feeding Intolerance in Preterm...

Area of Science:

• Neonatal physiology
• Gastroenterology
• Biomedical engineering

Background:

• Feeding intolerance (FI) is a common complication in preterm infants, hindering enteral nutrition.
• Current clinical signs of FI are nonspecific, necessitating objective biomarkers.
• Electrogastrography (EGG) measures gastric electrical activity and may offer a non-invasive solution.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the utility of EGG in differentiating preterm infants with FI from those without (NFI).
• To assess gastric electrical activity patterns in response to feeding using EGG.
• To explore EGG as a potential objective biomarker for FI in neonates.

Main Methods:

• EGG recordings were analyzed from preterm infants during feeding cycles.
• Power spectral density (PSD) and PSD ratios (PSDR) were calculated for different gastric frequency bands (bradygastria, normogastria, tachygastria).
• Statistical analysis using bootstrap resampling compared EGG parameters between FI and NFI groups.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in baseline gastric activity (mPSD) were observed between groups.
• Infants with FI showed attenuated gastric activity during feeding (lower PSDR_Dur/Pre) in bradygastria and tachygastria bands.
• No differences in post-feeding gastric activity (PSDR_Post/Pre) were found between groups.

Conclusions:

• EGG can detect diminished gastric electrical activity specifically during feeding in preterm infants with FI.
• EGG shows potential as a non-invasive physiologic marker for identifying feeding intolerance in neonates.
• Further validation studies are warranted to confirm EGG's role in clinical practice.