Cardio-Respiratory Events and Food Autonomy Responses to Early Uni-Modal Orofacial Stimulation in Very Premature Babies : A Randomized, Controlled Study

Abstract

BackgroundThe Uni-modal OroFacial Stimulation (OFS) for preventing very preterm infants’ oral disorders is highly controversial. Our study sought to demonstrate that OFS reduced cardio-respiratory events and improved food autonomy in a population of very preterm infants.MethodsRandomized, controlled, prospective, and unicentric study. Preterm included were born between 26-29 week‘s gestational age (GA) and with a corrected postnatal age <33 week’s GA. They were randomized in two groups: experimental group underwent an OFS according to a protocol established over 10 consecutive days, and the control group underwent no OFS. The primary outcome were the number of cardiorespiratory events: apnea-bradycardia (with or without desaturations) or number of isolated desaturations which were evaluated at four separate times. The measurement occurred during a first, four and eight independent feedings. Results17 patients in the experimental group and 18 in the control group were included. The number of cardiorespiratory events for all independent- feedings time was significantly reduced in the OFS group (p = 0.003) in the univariate analysis but not in multivariable analysis. There were no signs of poor tolerance noted in the protocol. The quantity of milk ingested during the first autonomous feeding was higher in the experimental group. The acquisition of food autonomy and the duration of the hospitalization stay were similar in the two groups.ConclusionsWhile our study does not affirm that an early unimodal OFS improves the premature infants’ cardiorespiratory evolution and/or the acquisition of food autonomy, it does indicate an improved food efficiency during their first autonomous feedings.The ClinicalTrials.gov identifier is NCT01116765, on May 2010.