Effectiveness of Non-Nutritive Sucking on Sucking Performance in Preterm Infants: A Systematic Review
Physical & Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics
Lu, C., Wang, S., et al. (2025).
Physical & Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics, Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/01942638.2025.2451405.
<div>This systematic review investigates the effects of non-nutritive sucking (NNS) interventions on sucking performance in preterm infants.</div>
No funding received
From database inception to July 25th, 2024
<div>Randomized-controlled trials</div>
9
<div>Findings showed NNS had:</div>
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<ul>
<li>positive impact on the Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children scale, the percentage of milk taken, the number of sucks per burst, and physiological characteristics (i.e., lower heart rate, lower respiratory rate, and higher oxygen saturation);</li>
<li>insignificant effects on overall sucking frequency, suction amplitude, and expression amplitude; and</li>
<li>inconsistent results for the Preterm Infant Breastfeeding Behavior Scale, volume of milk intake in the first 5 minutes, rate of milk transfer, overall milk intake, feeding time, and weight gain at discharge.</li>
</ul>
<div>Limitations to this review include the potential for language bias, heterogeneity of the included studies, and the small sample sizes of the included studies.</div>
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