Chinese pediatric Tuina can prevent premature infant feeding intolerance and is conducive to weight gain: a prospective randomized controlled study

Objective: Preterm birth is one of the most important health problems in the world. Feeding intolerance is one of the most common and serious complications of premature infant. The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of Chinese pediatric Tuina on the prevention of feeding intolerance in favour of weight gain in premature infants. Methods: A prospective randomized controlled study was conducted in the Department of Neonatology in our hospital. Premature infants were recruited and randomly assigned to an intervention group or a control group. Premature infants in the intervention group received a Chinese pediatric Tuina intervention by professional chiropractors, while premature infants in the control group received standard care. The incidence of feeding intolerance and weight gain situation were compared between the two groups. Result: After 1 week of intervention, the body weight (2.5 +/- 0.5 vs 2.0 +/- 0.4, p=0.038), head circumference (32.8 +/- 1.7 vs 29.9 +/- 1.4, p=0.041), albumin (34.6 +/- 5.8 vs 28.4 +/- 6.1, p-0.026) and prealbumin (155.8 +/- 35.2 vs 113.6 +/- 36.8, p=0.021) of preterm infants in the intervention group were significantly better than those in the control group. The incidence of feeding intolerance (7 vs 15, p=0.032) in the intervention group was significantly lower than that in the control group. Although there were no statistically significant differences (P>0.05), the incidences of gastrointestinal bleeding, necrotizing enterocolitis, and liver insufficiency were lower in the intervention group than in the control group. Conclusion: Chinese pediatric Tuina can effectively prevent the occurrence of feeding intolerance in premature infants and be conducive to the weight gain and improving nutritional status of premature infants.