Skip to main content

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Pediatr.
Sec. Neonatology
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fped.2024.1417628

Cue-based feeding in the NICUa pathway to earlier oral feeding of preterm infants

Provisionally accepted
Noa Ofek-shlomai Noa Ofek-shlomai 1,2*Chen Mordechai Chen Mordechai 2Iris Morag Iris Morag 3,4Tali Bdolach Abram Tali Bdolach Abram 2Smadar Eventov-Friedman Smadar Eventov-Friedman 1,2
  • 1 Hadassah Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
  • 2 Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
  • 3 Shamir Medical Center (Assaf Harofeh), Zerifin, Israel
  • 4 School of Medicine, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Aim: To compare volume driven and cue-based feeding of preterm low-birth-weight infants, regarding short term outcomes, including transition to oral feeds, weight gain, and length of stay. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study. Feeding and weight gain outcomes were compared between infants fed by volume driven and cue-based feeds. the groups were subdivided by birth weight categories. Results: Study group included 240 low birth weight preterm infants born before 34 weeks of gestation, 120 infants fed by volume driven feeding were compared to 120 infants fed by cue-based feeding. The groups were sub analyzed by birth weight categories, <1,500 gr, and 1500-2,500 gr. Study groups were comparable regarding baseline characteristics and neonatal morbidities. Infants fed by cue-based feeding were more likely to achieve full oral feeding faster, and at an earlier gestational age. Infants with birth weight of <1,500 gr were less likely to experience adverse respiratory episodes during cue-based feeding. Although weight gain rate was reduced in the cue-based feeding in the heavier infant group, discharge weight, breast-feeding rates, and length of stay, were comparable between the groups. Conclusions: Cue-based feeding results in faster transition to full oral feeding in preterm very-low-birth infants, and at an earlier gestational age. Key notes: • Transition to oral feeding is a challenge for low-birth-weight preterm infants. • Cue-based feeding is a feeding method which is responsive to the infants’ cues of satiety and hunger. • Cue-based feeding results in faster transition of low-birth-weight infants to full oral feeding, at an earlier gestational age, with increased cardiorespiratory stability.  

    Keywords: NICU (neonatal intensive care unit), Cue-based feeding, volume driven feeds, Weight Gain, Oral feeds

    Received: 15 Apr 2024; Accepted: 30 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Ofek-shlomai, Mordechai, Morag, Bdolach Abram and Eventov-Friedman. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Noa Ofek-shlomai, Hadassah Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.