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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2015 Apr;15(2):142-9.
doi: 10.1097/ANC.0000000000000166.

Multisensory intervention for preterm infants improves sucking organization

Barbara Medoff-Cooper  1 , Kristin Rankin, Zhuoying Li, Li Liu, Rosemary White-Traut
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Multisensory intervention for preterm infants improves sucking organization

Barbara Medoff-Cooper et al. Adv Neonatal Care. 2015 Apr.

Abstract

Background: Premature infants are at risk for difficulties in feeding, social interaction, and growth. Many premature infants exhibit a lower capacity for self-regulation, resulting in less behavioral alertness and hypersensitivity to stimulation. Feeding is critically important because it is a primary factor for infant growth and a major concern for both parents and clinicians.

Purpose: The aim of this randomized controlled trial was to evaluate sucking organization in premature infants following a preterm infant multisensory intervention, the Auditory, Tactile, Visual, and Vestibular (ATVV) intervention.

Methods: A convenience sample of 183 healthy premature infants born 29-34 weeks postmenstrual age (PMA) enrolled. Sucking organization was measured at baseline, then weekly, during the infant's hospital stay.

Results: A quadratic trend was observed for number of sucks, sucks per burst, and maturity index with the intervention group increasing significantly faster by day 7 (model estimates for group × day: β= 13.69, P < .01; β = 1.16, P < .01; and β= 0.12, P < .05, respectively). Sucking pressure increased linearly over time, with significant between-group differences at day 14 (β= 45.66, P < .01).

Implications for practice: The ATVV infants exhibited improved sucking organization during hospitalization, suggesting that the ATVV intervention improves maturation of oral feeding.

Implications for research: Further research that includes 2 or more tests, delivered the same day and/or over consecutive days, will provide researchers and clinicians a more sensitive indicator of maturational changes in feeding behaviors.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Panel 1 Estimated Number of Sucks
Figure 2
Figure 2
Panel 2 Estimated Mean Adjusted Maximum Pressure
Figure 3
Figure 3
Panel 3 Estimated Mean Sucks per Burst
Figure 4
Figure 4
Panel 4 Estimated Sucking Maturity Index
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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