Oral Stimulation for Promoting Oral Feeding in Preterm Infants

Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews

Greene, Z., O'Donnell, C. P. F., et al. (2016).

Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 9, CD009720.

This meta-analysis investigates the effects of ral stimulation interventions on various outcomes (e.g., time to oral feeding, sucking strength, development) in preterm infants born before 37 weeks' postmenstrual age.

The Cochrane Collaboration; Health Research Board Cochrane Training Fellowship (Ireland); Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; National Institute for Health Research (United kingdom)

Up to February 2016

Published and unpublished randomized controlled trials; quasi-randomized controlled trials

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<div>Regarding oral stimulation interventions, the following findings were reported from low to very low quality evidence:</div> <ul> <li>Oral stimulation was associated with reduced time to transition to oral feeding (MD= -4.81 days, 95% CI= -5.56 to -4.06) and&nbsp;shorter the length of hospital stay (MD= -5.26, 95% CI= -7.34 to -3.19) when compared to standard care .</li> <li>Reduced time to transition to oral feeding (MD= -9.02 days, 95% CI= -10.30 to -7.71) and shorter length of stay (MD= -9.01 days, 95% CI= 10.30 to -7.71) were also noted when compared to another non-oral intervention.</li> <li>Reduced duration of parenteral feeding was noted when compared to standard care (MD= -5.30, 95% CI= -9.73 to 0.87) and another non-oral intervention (MD= -8.70 days, 95% CI= -15.46 to -1.94).</li> <li>There was no significant effects for weight gain and exclusive or partial breast feeding at discharge</li> </ul> <div>Self-resolving episodes of bradycardia and apnea were the only adverse events noted within included studies. Findings, however, should be interpreted with caution as the included studies had variable risk of bias and low methodological quality.</div>