NCT05619224

Physiotherapy to Improve Feeding Skills in Preterm Infants

Efficacy of a Physiotherapy Intervention to Improve Feeding Skills in Preterm Infants

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 56 (actual)
• Sponsor: Universidad de Almeria · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 27 Weeks – 32 Weeks
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

INTRODUCTION: Suction problems are very common in premature children due to a lack of maturation and orofacial control, the manifestation of a low muscle tone and the incoordination during sucking-swallow-breathe. In addition, there are some problems in different systems that get it worse. AIM: compare oral stimulation programme with a neurodevelopmental stimulation intervention programme combined with an oral stimulation programme, evaluating its effectiveness on feeding development, neuromotor development and other aspects of development. METHODOLOGY: we proposed a prospective parallel group clinical trial with two randomized and independent experimental groups. All preterm infants born between 2022-2023 at University Hospital Torrecárdenas, with nasogastric tube and gestational age between 27-32 weeks will be included. EXPECTED BENEFITS: to have better results when the preterm infant is approached globally, also considering the postural situation of the preterm infant. In addition, it is expected that the development of children treated by combining oral stimulation with neurodevelopmental stimulation will be equated or close to healthy and born-to-term child. RESULTS APPLICABILITY: Improved eating performances will reduce length of hospital stay as well as a greater autonomy improving family situation. It will also allow the reduction of hospital costs and the creation of a new way to attend this problem in preterm children.

Conditions

• Premature Birth
• Parenteral Nutrition
• Motor Disorders
• Neurodevelopmental Disorders
• Sucking Behavior

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Neurodevelopmental stimulation + Oral stimulation	Neurodevelopmental intervention seeks to reduce abnormal postures and movement patterns in premature infants, allowing them to experience physiological postures in flexion and receive sensory stimulation. To this is added oral stimulation. These stimulations are performed on alternate days.
OTHER	Oral stimulation	This intervention consists of performing a sensorimotor stimulation of oral structures: stimulating for 7 minutes perioral structures( cheeks, lips and jaw)intraoral structures for 5 minutes and in the last 3 minutes non-nutritive suction stimulation with pacifier or finger.

Timeline

• Start date: 2022-02-01
• Primary completion: 2025-02-28
• Completion: 2025-03-25
• First posted: 2022-11-16
• Last updated: 2025-03-30

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Spain