Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Jun 28;4(3):229-234.
doi: 10.36518/2689-0216.1417. eCollection 2023.

Transpyloric Feed in Reflux-Associated Apnea in Preterm Newborns: A Prospective Study

Tamoghna Biswas  1 , Tapas K Sabui  1 , Somosri Roy  1 , Rakesh Mondal  1 , Shubhabrata Majumdar  2 , Sudipta Misra  3
Affiliations

Transpyloric Feed in Reflux-Associated Apnea in Preterm Newborns: A Prospective Study

Tamoghna Biswas et al. HCA Healthc J Med. .

Abstract

Background: The etiological correlation between gastroesophageal reflux (GER) and apnea is controversial. We conducted a prospective interventional study designed to address the controversy.

Methods: Preterm neonates with apnea at a tertiary care center, who had clinical features of GER without any other comorbidities likely to cause apnea, were included in the study. The enrolled neonates underwent continuous transpyloric tube feeding for 72 hours. The primary outcome measure was the difference in the number of apneic episodes pre- and post-initiation of nasoduodenal (ND) feeding. Secondary outcome measures included the incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis, other gastrointestinal disturbances, and mortality.

Results: Sixteen preterm neonates were included in the study. A substantial proportion (n =11, 68.8%) of the included neonates had a reduction in the number of apneic episodes. There was a significant decrease in the mean number of apneic episodes from 1.75 (±0.837) to 0.969 (±0.957) (P=.007). The median number of apneas was 1.5 (IQR 0.875) before and 0.5 (IQR 0.875) after ND feeds. There were no serious adverse events observed that were attributable to transpyloric feeding.

Conclusion: This prospective study suggests that in a selected group of preterm neonates with reflux- associated apnea, transpyloric feeding can be an effective therapeutic modality.

Keywords: apnea; gastroesophageal reflux; newborn; prematurity; transpyloric feeding.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A line plot shows the mean number of apneic episodes during the study. Abbreviation: TPF = transpyloric feed
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Mishra S, Agarwal R, Jeevasankar M, Aggarwal R, Deorari AK, Paul VK. Apnea in the newborn. Indian J Pediatr. 2008;75(1):57–61. doi: 10.1007/s12098-008-0008-7. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Zhao J, Gonzalez F, Mu D. Apnea of prematurity: from cause to treatment. Eur J Pediatr. 2011;170(9):1097–1105. doi: 10.1007/s00431-011-1409-6. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Martin RJ, Abu-Shaweesh JM, Baird TM. Apnoea of prematurity. Paediatr Respir Rev. 2004;5(suppl A):S377–S382. doi: 10.1016/s1526-0542(04)90067-x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Slocum C, Hibbs AM, Martin RJ, Orenstein SR. Infant apnea and gastroesophageal reflux: a critical review and framework for further investigation. Curr Gastroenterol Rep. 2007;9(3):219–224. doi: 10.1007/s11894-007-0022-3. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Spitzer AR, Boyle JT, Tuchman DN, Fox WW. Awake apnea associated with gastroesophageal reflux: a specific clinical syndrome. J Pediatr. 1984;104(2):200–205. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(84)80992-0. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources