The impact of nasogastric indwelling versus oral intermittent tube feeding methods on premature infants

Abstract

Both intermittent oral gavage tube placement(0G) and indwelling nasogastric tube placement (NG) are acceptable methods for feeding preterm infants. A randomized controlled pilot study was conducted to examine the impact of OG versus NG placement on premature infant feeding transition. Twenty healthy premature infants were enrolled and thirteen completed the study. The results were not statistically significant. Age at last tube feed averaged 35 weeks gestational age (GA) for the intermittent group and 35+4 weeks GA for the indwelling group (p=0.181). Infants in both groups were discharged at an average of 36 weeks GA (p=.836) and averaged suckled volumes at 35 weeks GA was 134.4cc/kg/day for the intermittent group versus 111.8cc/kg/day for the indwelling group (p=0.240). Infant feeding patterns were analyzed descriptively and found to be consistently variable. The lack of consistency in feeding development has implications for feeding plan development and feeding transition care.