Application Of Gravity Feeding In Very Low Birth Weight Infants Feeding

Objective The feeding and nursing of very low birth weight infants has been a hot topic in the nursing unit and a challenge in clinical work.The basic problem of very low birth weight infants is extremely low nutritional status,which directly affects the survival and quality of life of very low birth weight infants.To solve the contradiction between the low energy storage and high metabolism and growth of very low birth weight infants,more attention has been paid to the feeding factors.Therefore,the purpose of this study is exploring the application and advantages of gravity feeding in very low birth weight infants,and the different positions gravity feeding in very low birth weight infants,especially their advantages and disadvantages,and clinical application value.Methods A randomized clinical controlled study was performed,and clinical data of146 very low birth weight infants cases in the hospital,from 2016 September to 2017 September,were collected and statistical analysis.Among them,43 very low birth weight infants were in the gravitational feeding group and 33 in the conventional nasal feeding group.In the gravity feeding group,38 cases were given the prone position and 32 cases were fed on the supine position.Results There was no significant difference in the general clinical data between the different feeding methods groups of very low birth weight infants(P > 0.05).In the gravity feeding group,the total gastrointestinal nutrition time,gastric tube retention time and birth weight recovery time were all shorter than those in the conventional nasal feeding group,and the differences were statistically significant(P < 0.05).The time PN was shorter than that of the conventional feeding group(P < 0.05).The number of infants,who happened the apnea,vomiting,abdominal distension,diarrhea and feeding intolerance in the gravity feeding group were all significantly lower than those in the conventional feeding group(P < 0.05).In the 14 days,head circumference and weight of infants in gravity feeding group increase were obviously higher than that in conventional nasal feeding group(P < 0.05).There was no significant difference in the growth of the body length in groups(P > 0.05).The time of hospitalization and NICU in the gravity feeding group was shorter than those in the conventional nasal feeding group(P < 0.05).Meanwhlie,there was no significant difference in the general clinical data between the two groups of different body positions on the very low birth weight infants fed by gravity.The total gastrointestinal nutrition time,gastric tube retention time and birth weight recovery time of the prone position gravity feeding group,were all shorter than those in the supine gravity feeding group.The difference was statistically significant(P < 0.05).In the prone position gravity feeding group,the time of PN time was shorter than that in the supine position gravity feeding group.The difference was statistically significant(P < 0.05).The number of apnea,vomiting,abdominal distension and feeding intolerance in the gravity feeding group at prone position were all lower than those in the supine position gravity feeding group,and the difference was statistically significant(P <0.05).There was no significant difference in gastrointestinal complications such as diarrhea,gastric bleeding and necrotizing enterocolitis in the two groups(P > 0.05).In the 14 h days,body weight,length and head circumference growth of the prone position gravity feeding group were better than that of supine gravity feeding group,the difference was statistically significant(P < 0.05).The length of stay in the NICU and hospital in the prone position feeding group were significantly shorter than those in the supine gravity feeding group(P < 0.05).Conclusion Gravity feeding can reduce the incidence of enteral nutrition complications of low birth weight infants,meanwhile it is easy to operate,saving nurses’ operation time,low cost and gaining weight quickly.At the same time,it can effectively increase the milk volume,help the very low birth weight infants achieve the whole gastrointestinal nutrition and recover the normal body weight as soon as possible,shorten the time of gastric tube indwelling and hospitalization time,so as to improve the prognosis.Gravity feeding at prone position can increase the milk volume,and help very low birth weight infants achieving full gastrointestinal nutrition as early as possible.Moreover,gravity feeding at prone position can reduce feeding complications,restore body quality,shorten hospitalization time and reduce medical burden.