Clinical and Laboratory ObservationsDoes the Use of Pacifier Affect Gastro-Esophageal Reflux in Preterm Infants?
Section snippets
Methods
Infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of St. Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, Bologna, Italy, were eligible for the study if they fulfilled the following criteria: gestational age ≤32 weeks, moderate to severe GER symptoms (ie, ≥3 regurgitations and/or ≥4 postprandial desaturations over a 12-hour period, hiccup, back arching, and fussing8), weight ≥1100 g at examination, enteral intake ≥100 mL/kg/d, and a stable clinical condition. Written, informed consent was obtained from the
Results
Thirty preterm infants (13 males) were enrolled from January 2014 to May 2015 (Table I). All the patients tolerated pH-MII monitoring and no adverse event occurred during the study periods. The infants were kept in supine position during postprandial periods. None of the infants was on anti-reflux treatment and/or prokinetic drugs at the time of examination. Thirteen out of 30 infants (43%) were bottle-fed, whereas in the remaining 17 (57%) the meal was administered as a bolus through an
Discussion
NNS provided by a pacifier during postprandial periods does not affect GER features in preterm infants with GER symptoms. GER is very frequent in the preterm population, with an estimated incidence of 22% among neonates born before 34 weeks' gestation.11 In order to prevent GER-related complications (ie, esophagitis or pulmonary aspiration), the use of anti-reflux drugs is widespread in most NICUs.12 However, both H2 blockers and proton pump inhibitors can increase the risk of infections and
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Prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease found by pH measurements in preterm infants with suggestive symptoms
2019, Revista Colombiana de GastroenterologiaWhen is the use of pacifiers justifiable in the baby-friendly hospital initiative context? A clinician's guide
2017, BMC Pregnancy and ChildbirthThe effect of non-nutritive sucking on transcutaneous oxygen saturation in neonates under the Nasal Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP)
2017, International Journal of PediatricsNon-nutritive sucking for increasing physiologic stability and nutrition in preterm infants
2016, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.