Swallowing Dysfunction
Conditions
Brief summary
Swallowing dysfunction and delay of oral feeding skills in premature infants significantly delay discharge from the hospital. Thickening oral formula or breast milk feeds with commercial thickeners and rice cereal has been used in some nurseries with the goal of promoting development of adequate feeding skills. The objective of this pilot study is to examine the effect of thickened feeds on premature infants with oral feeding difficulties due to dysfunction secondary to immature swallowing. Hypotheses: * Thickened feeds will lead to a reduction in symptoms secondary to immature swallowing in 32-40 weeks gestational age infants when compared to non-thickened feeds * Thickened feeds will promote transition to hospital discharge.
Interventions
DIETARY_SUPPLEMENTSimply Thick
Simply Thick® added to each bottle of formula or beast milk to create nectar or honey consistency
Sponsors
David Oelberg, M.D.
Study design
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
No minimum to 3 Months
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
1. apneas and bradycardias with oral feedings 2. oxygen desaturations with oral feedings 3. excessive coughing or gagging with oral feedings
Exclusion criteria
1. less than 32 weeks adjusted gestational age 2. greater than 40 weeks adjusted gestational age
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Elimination of symptoms associated with immature swallowing | 2 days |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Promotes transition to discharge from hospital | one week |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed