Sensorimotor Therapy and Time to Full Oral Feeding in < 33 Weeks Infants

Background: Previous research has shown that oral stimulation improves feeding skills in preterm infants. However, it remains unclear whether other sensorimotor therapies have similar effect.Objective: To investigate the effect of sensorimotor therapy on the time to reach full oral feeding (FOF) in infants <33 weeks.Methods: Retrospective review compared two time periods between 2009 and 2014, before (PRE TX) and after (POST TX) initiation of sensorimotor therapy to infants <33 weeks. Type and number of sensorimotor therapy, time to FOF and length of stay (LOS) were collected. Statistical analysis used SPSS 22 for descriptive, non-parametric testing, chi-square and multivariate linear regression computation.Results: Of 245 records, 137 were excluded due to death, record unavailability/incompleteness or transfer. The remaining 55 in PRE TX and 53 in POST TX infants differed by small for gestational age (SGA) (36.4% vs. 283%, p = 0.02); sepsis (81.8% vs. 54.7%, p = 0.002); patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) (5.5% vs. 22.6%, p = 0.01) and bradycardia (47.3% vs. 83%, p < 0.0001). Infants in (POST TX) achieved FOF in 63 +/- 4.3 days vs. 8.8 +/- 6.6 days in (PRE TX) (p = 0.02); their LOS was 56.8 +/- 26.4 vs. 52.2 +/- 25.1 (p = 0.36). Predictors of days to FOF were any number of therapy sessions (beta = -4.31; 95% CI: -6.47: -2.15), LOS (beta = 0.05; 95% CI: 0.004:0.09), FDA (beta = 3.23; 95% CI: 0.27:6.19) and bradycardia (beta = 2.94; 95% CI: 0.62:526).Conclusion: Providing any type of sensorimotor therapy decreased time to reach FOF in infants <33 weeks. Structured guidelines may help optimize this effect. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.